I had a frustrating shopping experience the other day. The things I thought were on sale weren’t. My coupon was only good on things I didn’t need, and not on what I wanted to buy. And then something rang up at the register at a different price from what was advertised, adding to my frustration.

When I got home, I spent some time in prayer, confessing my frustration and impatience to the Lord. (I had already apologized to the clerk before leaving the store.) It was then that I found these words in Proverbs: “…a man of understanding is even-tempered.” I thought about those words for awhile and began to realize that there were some things I had needed to understand during that shopping experience.

First of all, I needed to understand that God was in control. I was frustrated because I had no control over some of these things, but my Father was in control and as His child I could rest in that.

I also needed to understand that some things simply didn’t matter. I was allowing things that were temporal, and in-the-long-run unimportant, to matter – actually, to matter a great deal.

But, most importantly, I needed to understand that the people I came in contact with were more important than things – certainly more important than whether or not I got something a few dollars cheaper. My frustration was not directed at the clerk, but it was certainly evident to him.

The Bible is such a practical book. Solomon’s words are still true and applicable to our daily lives. To paraphrase Solomon… “the shopper who understands that God is in control, that some things simply don’t matter, and that people are always important, will be even-tempered – even when Christmas shopping.

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