All Things in Perspective

Last week I took my car in for an oil change and a minor repair. I was told 2 hours for the wait time. John and I went to dinner and came back. When the two hours was up I was informed it would be another 2 hours because of a machine malfunction. After that 2 hours I was told it was ready and paid for it only to wait another 20 minutes and find out it was not ready and would be ready in 5 minutes, only to be told 15 minutes later that it would in fact, not be ready at all til tomorrow, but they would give me a rental car to use for free for the next day. 

I have to tell you that I was pretty frustrated. I was actually as close to fuming as I get and visibly shaken. I was trying to stay patient, but I was definitely at my breaking point. Coming in at 4:30 and getting home at 9:30 was not exactly how I planned to spend my evening, and I still had to come back the next day. I know that probably anyone in my situation would have gotten frustrated and from a human standpoint I think that is a completely natural and justified response. 

However, I was also struggling within myself. As a Christian what should my response look like in a situation like that? Do I have a right to be frustrated and angry? I pondered these questions that night while I lay awake from the adrenaline rush of my anger. What was I really angry about? I know they didn't purposely make it take longer just to make me mad. I know they were trying to fix my car and they were probably getting frustrated with their machine not working right. I was angry because  of something completely out of my control. Had they known it would have taken so long from the beginning they would have told me. I was angry because things did not go as planned. I was angry because I was inconvenienced. 

That's when God gave me a major perspective shift and I was humbled. Was my situation really that bad? I got to sit in an air conditioned waiting room in a comfy seat with a television, my kindle, magazines and my husband some of the time. My car was getting fixed, just taking longer. Plus they did give me a free rental car to drive. I had money to pay for my repair and I could pick it up tomorrow. That's pretty good. If I was a missionary living in a remote country I might not have it so easy. I imagine car repairs could take much longer. First to get parts and then to get it repaired. It kinda just helped me put things back in perspective. I did not have a right to be angry. I had a right to be grateful!

That is not my natural response, but I want it to be. I want my words to be full of patience and grace instead of anger and frustration in those situations. I need to practice....alot, but I know that God will give me many more opportunities for that ;) And I pray that this verse will become norm in my life. 

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18