Has a stranger ever bumped into you in a crowd? Or has a driver ever cut you off just as you were about to turn? Or has someone bigger than you ever stepped in front of you near the checkout stand? Such things have happened to all of us, and they are inevitable in a world of time and chance and individual free choices. Could it be that this is by God’s design, because these situations test our patience, our temperament, and our character? I believe that’s how it is.

Maybe you have a beautiful lawn that you have slaved over until it was almost perfect, except for one thing…your neighbor’s huge dog. And wouldn’t you know it! Somewhere in all dogs’ DNA there is a built-in characteristic that compels them, when nature calls, to go outside their own yard to satisfy that urge. That’s how it is.

So, when your toast burns, your pot boils over, your bank account is overdrawn, your tire goes flat, lightening strikes your antenna, your lawnmower breaks down, you have a hangnail, or your hair falls out, just remember it’s part of living. That’s how it is.

When these things happen, don’t “fly off the handle.” Maintain your patience. It’s our heavenly Father’s desire that we persevere, overcome, and become victorious. And that’s how it is, so get over it—please!

                                                                                         Stanley Roberts, Sr.