Rushing Grace

I'm not always realistic about how much I can get done in a particular time. Therefore, I tend to end up rushing to get to someplace or to get something done, so I can rush to someplace.

When I'm rushing around, I'm not as patient as I normally would be and some things that interfere with my getting done in time, can be viewed as an annoyance. 

 One time, while I was rushing around, I felt someone was interfering with getting done on time. It felt like it was deliberate, because I had explained that I was in a hurry to do such and such. In reality, it probably wasn't a deliberate action, but it sure felt that way and I could feel the frustration rumbling up inside me and was about to leak out all over the place. Instead, I prayed to Christ for Rushing Grace.  Although these two words aren't significant, in and of themselves, Christ knows what was going on when I said that brief prayer and He gave me the grace, so that I didn't say angry things out of frustration with the person who was interfering with my being able to get everything done on time. Brief prayers are really worth trying the next time, you feel yourself getting frustrated.

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?