Idling

Today had the potential to be a very bad day. But it wasn't. Must have been divine intervention that I managed to keep my joy throughout a one hour wait at an appointment, picking up my daughter who was the last lonely preschooler waiting on her mom, rushing to feed a baby who wasn't hungry, waiting on a train, a bee in my car, and having to take the dishes back out of the broken dishwasher and do them by hand. Like I said, it was a miracle.

But I did it. Resist the devil and he will flee from you, the scripture says.

At the doctor's office, I waited and waited. I allowed the TV to occupy my mind because I kept thinking surely it would be any minute now. About 45 minutes into the wait, I was kicking myself for not bringing a book to read. Hello? You NEVER go to an appointment without a book to read! And if you don't have a book to read, you can at least think about the one you are writing!

It was about right there that I started facing temptation to get resentful and angry. I could be cold and curt with the assistant who was taking forever. Or, I could be patient and kind to the woman who was anxiously rushing to get to me. Her plight helped me to just let go of the wasted time. I was much happier choosing not to get angry about the ordeal. In years past, I have spent hours in waiting rooms feeling angry, resentful, impatient and tense. It was nice to just sit back and not get angry.

Later, when I found myself waiting again, this time at the train, I thought about how this one thing really helps define a persons character. What do you do with your mind when you are forced to idle? What do you fill it with? Do you use the time to think creatively? To say an extra prayer? Do you stare at the TV screen in the waiting room just because it is on? Do you look around for opportunities to serve or be kind? Do you get angry at having to wait? Do you spend the whole time feeding your anger? I've done all of those things at different times in my life. What do you do?