Mind Changing Grace

We were getting together with others for dinner and and another couple was doing all the cooking. One of the couples invited contacted me to see about bringing a relative to the dinner. I contacted the hosts who were very gracious about the added dinner guest.

 Then, I got word that they didn't think they were going to come. Later, they thought they were coming afterall, which would have been fine.

 They must have contacted me two or three times besides that saying they were and then weren't coming. There's a part of me that wanted to say, "Could you just make up your minds?" Of course, I wouldn't have been a good example of Christ's Grace if I had said that. 

 Instead, I asked for Mind Changing Grace. Actually, what came to mind was all the times I changed my mind when I made decisions when I was younger. Christ didn't just give me grace, so that I didn't say something rude, He also gave me compassion for their situation.

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?