Black Friday Adventures

Did you do any Black Friday Shopping?  I did... and it certainly was an adventure!

I headed out on Thanksgiving night to get a new TV on sale.The TV in my living room had been dying a slow, painful death for many months. Green was the only color that was produced on the screen. We haven't been able to watch The Grinch, The Hulk, or The Green Lantern for months because the main character was camoflauged amidst all the green! (OK, I'm exaggerating, but we really have had a green screen since the summer!)

While in the store to purchase the TV, I saw people pushing, arguing, and fighting to get one of only a few sale items that were the "hot item". To be honest, it made me nervous and uneasy, even though I was several feet away and not involved. I heard that someone bloodied their nose, but I did not see it personally.   I left that store to go to a department store where my church was giving away free hot chocolate as an outreach. Most of the people were very friendly and appreciative. However, one shopper became upset over the way that admission into the store was being handled and begin arguing at us. (Why was she fussing at us? We were the "love-Jesus-so-much, we're out-here-at 2 am-giving-you-hot-chocolate" people and not the store security people! Maybe she was tired and hadn't gotten enough sleep. We'll give her the benefit of the doubt.) 

My Black Friday experiences left me shaking my head. I went home at 4 am and went to bed, glad to be out of the ruckus. However, later on Friday evening, I ventured back out. The mall was still very crowded. I went into a ladies restroom and had to wait in line. While in line, I heard a lady who was inside the bathroom stall singing "Oh, when the saints go marching in, when the saints go marching in. Lord, I want to be in that number. When the saints go marching in". Now she was not humming, she was not quietly singing this to herself...she was "sanging"! This lady was happy and having herself a good time. She had a song in her heart and she was enjoying herself. The crowds hadn't caused her to lose her joy. Whatever she had seen that day, whether it was rude shoppers or unfriendly store clerks or high prices...still hadn't caused her to lose her song of praise. She may have had sickness, family problems money problems, who knows? Regardless, she was singing her happy song.

This lady had so much joy in her heart, she didn't care if she was in a crowded JC Penney bathroom. She was just getting her song out.  The Bible says that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.  That means that what's in the person's heart comes out in a person's speech.

I mentioned in a previous post that you cannot force or squeeze blood to come out of a turnip. No matter how hard you try, you can't get blood out of a turnip, because blood is not inside it.  When a person is "squeezed" or "forced" by the problems and trials of life, you cannot force something to come out of them that is not in there. If "ugly" is in the heart, then "ugly" is what is going to come out of the mouth!

When people are in a difficult or stressful situation, when they are being pressed by life, you begin to see what is really inside them. They may have a sweet smile or seem so friendly and nice, but when the pressure is applied, the truth comes out. I have seen this happen many times in my own life with people I've encountered over the years. Maybe you have that situation in your own life. Someone may have fooled others, but you are not fooled by them. You wonder why others can't see how that person really is. How should you handle the situation? Well, you may be more discerning than others. You may have a discerning spirit or a gift of discernment, allowing you to recognize things about this person before others do. Maybe you are the only person that they have revealed their "ugly side" to as of yet. Just pray about the situation and then just watch and wait and remain silent. A relative of mine used to say "just hide and watch".  Eventually, the person's true colors will be revealed. It's not your job to tell everybody how they really are. (That will only make you look bad). Just pray and wait. (I know, I know, waiting is not fun!) Hopefully, you can pray for the person and the issue can be resolved before anyone else has to find out and the person will actually change. Maybe they are going through a difficult time in their own life. If not, just keep praying and waiting. God is a God of justice. You will be vindicated when the truth is revealed. Your job is to pray and keep praising God and not to make any enemies during this process! Just wait and let God take care of it for you.

So, if a person's speech reveals what is in their heart, what does this mean for us as Christians? 

First, make sure that you know what is in your own heart. David prayed for God to search his own heart to see if there was any sin in his own life. Ask God to show you areas where you need to improve (unconfessed sin, bad habits, impatience, quick temper, etc.) and then ask Him to help you in those areas.

Second, you may need to ask God to help you clean up your own speech. The Bible says that we will have to give an account one day for every idle word we have spoken (I don't know about you, but that makes me a little nervous!) Your tongue is a dangerous weapon and holds the power of life and death! Start thinking about what you are saying. Are you saying what you want to see happen or are you proclaiming gloom and doom on a daily basis?

Third, how are you doing with your praise? Would you be more likely to be the angry shopper on Black Friday or would you be more likely to be the singing lady in the bathroom? How is your joy? How is your song in your heart? Start working on praising God in the midst of your trials and the frustrating, aggravating, annoying things that come with just being alive!  Are you thinking about the lovely and positive things going on in your life or focusing on the negative? Check out Philippians 4:8!

Have a great day. When you're at work this week and someone is annoying you, when someone cuts you off in traffic, steals your parking space or says something unkind to you...just think about the lady in the JC Penney bathroom... "Oh when the saints go marching in,  when the saints go marching in, Lord I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in!"