Spending way over my teaching budget limited me in my shopping today at Staples. I frugally chose things I knew would be needed for my classroom. I grabbed some circle magnets, a clipboard, and a box of labels. Mom said we had a clipboard at home that I could use as I met her at the counter. “Sorry, I don’t need this anymore” I politely said to the young cashier as I handed the clipboard to him. Receiving it with an annoyed face he responded, “Do you know who has to put these away at eleven at night?” As a customer I was completely taken aback by his comment. I stalled and stumbled on my words, “Uh, you?” Crinkling his nose with half his tongue sticking out obnoxiously said, “Duh.” Dumbfounded, angry, and embarrassed was all I could feel as a line of other customers were waiting behind me. My emotions froze me from speaking, from acting. I walked out of Staples trying to process everything that had just happened, only to regret that I hadn’t made a witty comeback. “wkdjoWIDjaoidjd!!!!!” Perhaps this delay was a blessing in disguise. A song that immediately triggered in my mind was Michael W. Smith’s “Lord Have Mercy”. I repeated the refrain in my head like a broken record. “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy over me.” Soon after, peace overshadowed my petty thoughts and the love of my Creator gently reminded me that we are all made in His likeness. I no longer wanted to go back to Staples, grab a handful of items only to “remember” I no longer needed them. My patience and forgiving spirit were put to the test. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that anger against others will never surface in my thoughts or actions. It means I should live life everyday in remembrance of the grace God lavished in my life, and extend that grace to others. It’s about reflecting the image of Christ, the essence of love- inside and out.