Don’t Fret Part 2

“Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.” Psalm 37:8

We read yesterday that God does not want us to envy evildoers because they will wither like the grass, they have no real future. What they have obtained through their sinful actions is not worth having. Do you believe that? Sometimes I find myself getting angry at people who try to get ahead illegally or at other’s expense. I want them to stop. I want them to pay for their selfishness –now! When these anxious thoughts come into my mind I am tempted to do evil myself, to say or do something Jesus would not be proud of.

I faced such a temptation recently. We were waiting in line to board our flight from Kiev, Ukraine to New York along with 300 other people. The line was moving so slowly it seemed like I was going backwards and may end up back in the seat I had left thirty minutes ago! Then a man came from behind us and subtly slipped in front of us. Nobody noticed, except me. I was tempted to be angry! But, I did not say anything to him. I did mention it to my wife and we discussed his selfish actions. Later, as the line crawled along at the speed of a glacier, he impatiently slipped out of his place and attempted to go through another check point to board. My wife and I both laughed to ourselves when he returned to his place in front of us because it was a plane bound to another destination! He could have ended up in Egypt!

We finally arrived at the gate to board and our daughter noticed that her teacher, who was on our flight, had been assigned the same seat as me. The 10 hour flight is hard enough with only one person in the cramped seat. How would this work? We asked the flight attendant and she said the three of us had been moved up to business class. We were pleasantly surprised and thanked God. My faith was reinforced as I sat in the spacious leather seat and our selfish “friend” walked by. Justice was served for this man and grace was extended to us.

No, we may not see the results while living here on earth of not fretting because of evildoers. I have flown over 40 times across the Atlantic to the former Soviet Union and only twice have I been bumped to business class. I think this time God was trying to teach me to rest in Him and not envy the evildoers. He wanted me to learn a lesson - He is here, He loves me and everything is okay. “Thank you Marie.” “Thank you Jesus!” I will remember your words and try not to fret.