Traffic Grace

I was recently in the car with someone who doesn't regularly drive in this particular larger city. They were frustrated and their choice of words indicated that. During that period, this person's frustration sometimes carried over to how they talked to me. I kept praying and praying for Traffic Grace.  I didn't want to respond in kind.

 Additionally, I knew that when I get lost while I'm driving, it makes me very tense and I'm not always at my best. So, I kept praying for Traffic Grace, trying to be gracious, which in this case had more to do with just being quiet and not responding back to the things said.

All in all, it made such a major difference. In listening to that person's comments later on, they said that they had a fun time. If I had used sassy responses when they were upset earlier, I don't think they would have enjoyed the rest of the time together. I am learning so much about turning things like this over to Christ's very capable hands. The big thing is remembering to do it before I respond and not after! 
 

Example of a Brief Prayer

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Acts 15:11

I was with someone who was scooping up some free popcorn. They didn't ask me if I wanted any. The person told me that I should get a bag of popcorn and then took it from my hands. They wanted me to get the popcorn for them to eat later.

It's such a silly thing, but it really did irritate me. Didn't that person think about whether I wanted some or not? Couldn't they have asked me if I wanted some before they took it from my hands? I found myself getting frustrated at that person. Then, it popped into my mind that that's not what Christ wants of me. He wants me to be gracious to those who irritate me, but I was too frustrated to be gracious at that moment.

What I prayed was, "Popcorn Grace," and immediately Christ calmed me down, so that I didn't respond to the person in a less than positive manner. Although the "Popcorn Grace" prayer was very brief, I was asking Christ to please give me grace with this popcorn situation, so I would respond in a gracious manner, and He did! It amazed me that He knew and understood my brief prayer and granted me that grace, so I could be more gracious as an example of how He works in my life! I have continued to use these brief prayers which are changing my life and my response to others. If Christ can do this for me, He can most certainly do it for you, as well. Try it...what can it hurt?