Thirty-eight days…
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. (N.K.J.V.)
We are all aware of how people tend to go a little nutty this time of year. I know the word busy seems to be overused, but that is because we all live in a society where things are constantly speeding up. Slowing down isn’t usually an option, especially at Christmastime.
Most likely, you have already been in situations this holiday season which include short-fused angry people. A few years ago, I was Christmas shopping and carrying several bags on each arm. As I tried to make it to my vehicle, which happened to be parked way on the other side of the mall parking lot, I had to struggle to fit between two closely parked trucks. Inadvertently, one of my large paper shopping bags filled with sweaters skid down the side of one of the trucks. There was, of course, no damage. After all, it was just a bag with clothing. However, the owner of the truck happened to be sitting inside of it and was obviously not having a good day. The reason I know this, is because he jumped out of his vehicle and began screaming at me from the top of his lungs. I calmly turned to him and said, “It was just my shopping bag with clothing inside.” He continued to scream something about how I need to be more careful and so on and so forth. All I heard was, “BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, I’m a mean Scrooge, a very mean, bitter old Scrooge! “ As I stood there flabbergasted, another man came running through the parking lot to my defense. He began yelling at “Bitter, Old, Scrooge Man” for screaming at me. At that point, I opened the door to my vehicle and left as quickly as possible while watching those two people fight it out through my rearview mirror. I’m certain there was not one kind word spoken between the two of them…
Last night I was shopping when a cranky woman waited on me. She had probably been working all day and was completely exhausted. I tried to share a little “honeycomb” and she smiled. It was a reminder to me that sometimes people need a little slack and some extra love. The words that roll off our tongues hold a lot of power. We all need to work hard at sharing pleasant words, even when we don’t feel like it.
I hope you have a wonderful day today, and I hope you come into contact with someone who will speak sweetness to your soul. But, just as a precaution, make sure your shopping bags are secure while walking through the mall parking lot.
