Turning to the Authority

Always stand up for the little guy. That’s been my unspoken mantra for as long as I can remember.  So, when the Cpl. and I happened upon a domestic smack dab in the middle of the cat litter isle of Wally World, you can just imagine what my first reaction was going to be.

 Yes, the Christmas season was nearly approaching and we needed a few odds and ends for last minute preparations. Rounding the corner of the pet section, the sounds of an angry man could be heard echoing off the shelves with a “Bleeping, bleepity, bleep cat litter, bleeping, bleeper!!!!”

 Looking up, I saw this man’s little woman melting into the tiled floor with every berating word. Immediately my blood began to boil. If a man ever talked to me that way, it would be his last words ever spoken.

 Swallowing hard so I would not jump the gun and wring his bloody neck, I tried hard to concentrate on which brand of cat litter I would need.

 Again, “Bleep, bleeping, bleepety, bleepers!” Turning towards the couple, her eyes fixated on the floor, I looked directly at the man and said, “Sir, you need to calm down.” “Sorry, ma’am,” he retorted.   I continued, “People need to be treated with respect.”  “Yeah!” she chimed in, not helping the situation.

I could feel the Cpl. gearing up behind me to jump in and take him down. “Sorry, ma’am, I’m real sorry,” the man said again.

 Feeling my head about to pop off, I figured it best to retreat around the corner. Things had quieted down a few decibels, and I just wanted to get out of there and forget about the whole thing.

 “Bleep, bleep, bleeping cat litter!!” There he went again. I whirled around to the Cpl. and said, “We need to leave before I level that guy!” Slowly and methodically, the Cpl. rounded the bend.

Curiosity got the best of me, so I quietly pushed my cart in that direction. In a low, controlled whisper, my man - that wonderful, sent-from-Heaven-above guy, got down in the gentlemen’s face and said, “Sir, if you continue, I’m going to arrest you right here.”

 Wow! I was never so excited to be married to a cop than at that moment. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” was all the man could say. And, things did quiet down after that moment, except for my blood pressure.

Later that day as I recalled the story to my kids, I realized there were a few lessons here for me to learn:

First of all, somebody else’s temper got the best of me. Though my intentions were good, my thoughts were not. Instead of having compassion and love, I felt hatred and disdain.

Secondly, while I was ready to fight the battle, it wasn’t mine to fight. Ignoring the fact that there was authority right behind me, I took it on in my own strength.

How many times in our lives are we confronted with stressful, high-tension situations? Instead of turning to the authority – the One in charge who has the ultimate power to handle the situation, we run head first on our own accord.

Well, I guess this is an area I will have to work on. For now, though, I’m keeping my back-up close behind.

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

God bless,

Kristi