Joining the Queue
As with every celebration, whether it be a birthday or farewell, a gift is often mandatory for you to give. For me, I was well prepared this year and had organised most of my gift for my mum during the week leading up to Mother's Day. However, I still managed to go to the shopping centre with mum on the day before to do some shopping.
When we arrived at the shopping centre, we decided to park in the underground car park. Being overcast and rainy, most of the other shoppers decided to park there too. We found that we had to join the queue for a car park.
The Grinch Comes Alive
Driving around for a park, I felt as though I had either been taken forward or backward in time to Christmas. Most people know that at Christmas, the Grinch comes out in the form of impatience. People can be seen waving their hands about, or shaking their heads in disbelief. A bad word or two can even be directed at you if you accidentally, or purposely, take someone else's car park.
Where's the Fire?
There's a saying, "Where's the fire?" I've had people say this to me a few times in relation to my fast walking. Today, I thought of that saying in relation to the impatient people in the car park. They all would eventually get a park, and be able to exit when they wanted to leave. All that was needed was some driving skills, and a little patience.
The Fruit of the Spirit
I was reminded of the fruit of the spirit as we drove through the car park. The Bible teaches us that we should show the fruit of the spirit. These include showing love, joy, peace, patience and kindness. Galatians 5 verses 22-23 states, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
We live in a sinful world, and no-one is perfect. There will be times when we get angry. Furthermore, the world is full of people with different personalities. Not every personality will "click" with another.
The more I reflect upon the car park situation, I come to realise that we need to be more accepting of each other. I shouldn't point my finger at those impatient people. On the other hand, they shouldn't be so quick to be frustrated about not getting a car park quickly. Next time you're having trouble finding a park, take a deep breath and practice being patient.
Natalie Van Egmond from Brisbane is a journalism graduate.
Natalie Van Egmond's archive of articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/natalie-van-egmond.html