Q & A How Do I Resist Temptation? (part two)

Earlier this week, I had told you that we had gone out of town. We were staying in a hotel across town from my daughters. The morning after checking in we were going to her home and then from there going on over to my son's home. We left the hotel about 9 a.m. or so and made our way back there with directions printed from off the internet because it had been some years since we had been to the area that they live in. Unfortunately, we got turned around but after a half hour or so, we did find our way to her house

Once there, we had some breakfast, and about 45 minutes later got ready to leave for my son's. I went to gather my purse and things I needed to take with me. But when I got into my bag, I couldn't find my wallet. As I pawed through it wanting to pull it out for something in it, I became a little frantic that it was not coming out with the rest of what was coming out. There were quite a bit of things in it) When everything was out, there was no wallet. Oh no! I had to have left it at the hotel.

Just that morning, in the information provided by the hotel, I had read that starting at 9 am, the cleaning service would be cleaning the rooms. We had left about that time, and now here it was going on 11! There was no doubt in my mind that they had already been to our room, and most likely, whoever had done ours, probably done had that wallet in their possession. I tried calling the hotel and to my dismay, could not get through. It seemed their phone was out or something. I do not know what the problem with that was and never found out.

 Maybe I am just too easy to jump to conclusions. But unlike in years gone by where we learned to trust everyone, that is not just the case in today's world. And so I am getting really upset as the seconds' tick by and we need to go back over to the hotel to try to find it. 

Now I have to tell you. I am not a rich person. I am not a well-to-do person. In fact, just a couple more days we would need to start heading back home and needed to depend on the credit card in that wallet to put gas in the tank to get there. Because also to my dismay, I had forgotten to let the credit card know that we were going to be out of town in case there was any suspicious activity on it during the time we were gone. That is what I get for not taking the time to do it even though it had been a rush job and very busy getting ready for it.

And so I prayed rather hastily mind you because all the time I was still worrying, "Please God, if the cleaning service has not been there yet, please stall her from our room and if she has, let her be honest not to take it." Or something like that. As I said, I was hasty in my prayer, worrying about it. But I knew God heard my heart.

We got to the hotel room and parked in the space in front of it. There she was. At our door. Her cart of supplies holding our door open. I told my husband to look the cart over as we went past it before we got out of the truck. Which I did as well, but not seeing it. We went in and right inside was a black lady. We told her we were the ones that had the room and immediately-and I do mean immediately, she said, "Oh, I found a black wallet and took it up to the office where you can go to pick it up!"

Now, I do not just go up and hug strangers. And being white myself, though I am not at all predijuced against any other race, I would not have done so with a white person, nor any other race either. Not in this day and time.

However, I was so relieved that it was as if I knew this lady personally. I stepped toward her asking if I could give her a hug, gave her one anyway, without waiting for an answer. Thankfully, she hugged me back and had a big smile on her face.

I don't know if she was tempted that morning when she saw my wallet lying wherever I had left it in the room. Maybe so, and maybe not. Whatever, she had done the right thing and not been taken to follow through if she had been. And in this kind of a job, and being an older lady, I am sure it might have been.  She had been honest and returned it and I will never forget her for making me happy. I pray that she too will get gratification in knowing she had done the right thing and she had also gotten a hug from a white and very grateful lady. And I also pray God's blessing on her as well because I know what it is to be older and have to work hard. And this kind of job is not the easiest kind to do.

And God? He is all too faithful to us at all times. even when we don't think he is. Especially at times when we forget to remember not to worry because he has all things in his control.  And he heard and answered my prayer that day!

The next morning, my old feelings from our world today did pop up again, however. We had slept in later than usual that morning at the hotel. The cleaning service gal showed up and asked us if we needed anything to which we said we didn't think so for now. This time she was white and young and I thought, "I am glad she wasn't here yesterday, she probably would have taken it."

As usual, I had to repent. "Sorry, Lord. Please forgive me for that!"

Temptations come at us all the time. Some of them are not as bad or not as hard to overcome perhaps as others. Until we let them go on, never dealing with them. Something small can become bigger and bigger until they make us into someone we never thought we would be. They are sin and that is all there is to it. And that is what Satan does to us. Lead us to it. Hoping we will take the bait and not giving up so as to lead us so far away from God we have no idea or maybe no desire to get back to him. It maybe starts with one little innocent (so we think) lie and lead us to hell if we let it. But thank God that he kind, patient and he is forgiving. Wishing that none
of us would be lost without him. (2 Peter 3:9) All we have to do is get the help we need as in some of the ways I mentioned in part one of this particular post, and most of all ask for God's forgiveness when we follow through on the things we do that are wrong. Because after all, that is the most important.

Thanks for coming by Friends. Have an awesomely blessed day on this the Lord's Day!
(Up tomorrow: Are dragons mentioned in the bible? Find out tomorrow.)