“Et bien, ça c’est le meilleur!”
Roughly translated, and taking into account the rolling of the eyes and the exasperated expression of the tone, this otherwise sweet French-speaking lady from the south of Belgium was saying, “Can you believe the audacity of some people!”
The object of her disgust was a seat on the Brussels-Brugge train that was occupied by a pair of dachshunds. It was the only one in the coach not occupied by a human being.
Yes, it did, indeed, look like a complete waste of a good seat, and from her limited knowledge, the lady in the next seat, the owner of the dachshunds, should have moved them off the seat and let her sit down. But I knew something the aggravated traveler did not know: The seat was actually not free. The lady who owned the dachshunds was traveling with her husband, who had simply gotten up to use the WC. Before he had temporarily vacated his seat, he had actually been holding the dogs on his lap.
It was later that same day when we were accosted by a vendor in a street market in Brugge, Belgium. “No! No touching!” she screamed. “See? Do not touch!”
The heavily accented English words were also heavily accented with anger as she snatched the box of strawberries and gooseberries from the hands of my husband and I and slammed them back down on the market table. Before stomping away, she grabbed a sign on the table that had fallen over and waved it under our noses.
The sign was written in Flemish, and what she didn’t realize was that we didn’t know enough Flemish to be able to read her “do not touch” sign!
What do these two stories have in common? They are both cases of people getting angry without knowing all the facts.
The next day, in a crowded street market in Ostend, Belgium, a man rudely pushed me aside, nearly knocking the backpack off my back in his hurry. He didn’t stop to say “excuse me” or “pardon” or even “verontschuldigt mij”, the Flemish words for “I’m sorry.” I glanced over at my husband, but he was intently looking at something and missed the entire exchange. The man standing next to him hadn’t missed it, however, and he rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders as if to so, “the nerve of some people!” I could feel my own ire rising as well, but then I remembered the incidents of the previous day. I remembered that we can’t judge situations without knowing all the facts. Maybe there was an emergency a few stalls down and he needed to get there to administer medical care…Instead of allowing my anger to flare, I prayed and asked God to forgive the man’s rudeness and to help him to achieve his objectives, whatever they might have been.
No matter what happens to you, and no matter how it may seem, remember: We truly do not know all the facts. Instead of judging people, let’s resolve to pray for them instead!
“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (Johnn 7:24, NKJV)
Oh, and the next time we are tempted to get angry at God for allowing us to go through troubled times, let’s remember these stories as well. We don’t see the whole picture, but God does. He knows all the hidden facts, and there is always a good reason for allowing us to pass through trouble. Instead of getting angry, like the street vendor or the lady on the train, let’s patiently give the trouble to God, ever trusting that He knows the full picture!
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28, NKJV)
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.