Wednesday, December 30, 2009

"What would the Savior Do?

I had an interesting experience yesterday. I had a doctors appointment in a medical building in west Mesa. I decided that while I was there I would go in and see if I could schedule my yearly mammogram screening. When I went in the girl said that if I could wait about a half hour she could get me in so I wouldn't have to make another trip from Gilbert. Because I don't drive anymore it causes some stress on Mindi because she has to take me to all my appointments, so I felt that if I could get this taken care of it would be worth it. Anyway, after my mammogram I walked out into the waiting room and there was a Mexican girl with a baby in a stroller trying to get out of the door. Tristyn was with me so we helped with the door and as we were walking out she asked me if I had change for a $20 bill. She needed to get on the bus and she needed $2.25 and they wouldn't make change for her. I knew I only had a few $20's in my wallet and then remembered my Mom had given Rich and I $60 in an envelope for Christmas, two $20's and 2 $10's. Anyway, I gave her my two new crisp $10 bills and she gave me her $20 and we left. When we got in the car I told Mindi that the girl with the baby in the stroller needed some small change to get on the bus. She handed me $2.25 and we drove over where she was asking another guy for change, I thought for the $10's I had given her. She said she got the change and we drove off. On the way home we stopped at a Hallmark store to see if they had any bargains for Christmas next year. I found some nice Nativity cards and went to pay for them at the counter. I handed the guy my $20 bill from my Mexican girl and to my surprise it was no good. She had given me a counterfeit bill. I was so embarrassed and afraid they were going to call the cops on me. I explained to the manager that I had just made change for a girl pushing a baby in a stroller trying to get on the bus. All she said was, "she got you." She then explained to me how you can tell whether it is a good bill or not. By then I was so mad I didn't care how to tell if a bill was good or not and I went out and got in the car. As I was getting in the car I was saying some bad words to Tristyn about the girl in the medical building, and how she had taken advantage of my kindness to her. I was really upset and I was trying to see how I could seek revenge for what she had done. After I had cooled down a little bit I became embarrassed about how I had acted. That I didn't have a kinder heart, that I would seek revenge over only $20. I thought about one of the prophets whose coat was stolen out of his car and he said, "if the person needed that coat enough to steal it, he was glad they took it." Here I was hoping this girl would be hit by the bus and hoping some bad karma on her and maybe even calling the police on her instead of having compassion for her. As I was sitting in the tub last night I thought about the day and how upset I was over this little bit of money and the words, "what would the Savior do?" kept coming into my mind. Hopefully, this new year I will be able to show a little more kindness and be a little bit more forgiving. I need to ask myself more often, "what would the Savior do?'" Maybe my life would get a little better and those around me would see that I do have a good heart.

1 comment:

The McNeil Family said...

You do have good heart. I would have acted the same way. You just thought me a good lesson, stop and think what would jesus do. I think i need to stop and think that a lot more often. You sure make me smile when i read your blog. Thanks=)