It was only going to take a minute.  I was going to run into the alteration shop, get the Chinese man to pin my skirt from the waist down to the hem and zip out of there.  I had frequented his business a few years back and told myself I would never go to him again because he was rude. But I was desperate.
 
Upon entering the shop, he refused to let me try on the skirt telling me he could pin it on the counter top without me trying it on.  I knew that was impossible. Somehow, within a few minutes, I had the skirt on standing in front of the mirror with him instructing me that he would only pin the waist and leave the rest alone.
 
I kindly tried to convey to him, "No sir, pin more."  To which he retorted, "Only pin here...thirty dollar, thirty dollar."  "Ok, thirty dollars," I replied. "Just pin more."
 
Then it happened; the professional ping pong match began.  "Thirty dollar, thirty dollar," he puffed in heated broken English, "Thirty dollar. Thirty dollar!"  I then responded with heated fervor myself, "Pin more. Pin more!"  Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until I finally retaliated one last time time: "PIN MORE.. ALL THE WAY FROM THE WAIST TO THE HEM!"... only to notice that one of the wives of my Board of Directors was standing at the counter watching the sparks begin to fly.
 
Ouch! When's the last time you lost your cool in public? What's one suppose to do when they run into difficult people who push them to the edge?  To be honest, I wasn't nearly as sorry that I had been discourteous as I was that I had gotten caught by someone whom I hoped respected me.  As I was leaving in an embarrassed fume, the Spirit's voice spoke, "Pam, God was observing the conversation from the beginning.  Why didn't you care that HE was watching?"
 
I went back to the shop the next day and told the Chinese man I was sorry but to no avail.  Jesus' words now remain poignantly branded in my soul:
 
Love your enemies.  Let them bring out the best in you not the worst.  When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person.  If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life.  No "tit for tat." (Message)
 
I'm sure God will allow me another "Tit for Tat Test" soon with the next irrational person who gets in my way.  Will I remember the Chinese man and the lost opportunity for service?  Will I utilize that heated moment to practice the Holy Spirit's witness and power within me? I deeply hope so.  I'm forever a work in progress myself!

 

A fellow daughter of the King,
Pam
 
Looking for a 10 week Bible study this fall for yourself and a friend or a group? Pam's companion workbook to Will the Real Me Please Stand Up is Hot Off The Press! The material can be used with or without the teaching DVDs. Discover 100 blessings you own as a child of Christ the King. Check out Pam's Bible Study.