Patience with the contractor

Wow. Right in my own home!

A contractor laboring for a few hours in my apartment had just plain old ignored me.

I’d said I wanted this service provider to do something a certain way, and the person proceeded to do just exactly the opposite of what I’d instructed. No apology. Hello!?

I felt like letting out a lion’s roar, but thank goodness I didn’t. What would the neighbors have thought? Let alone, would the windows have remained intact after the shock waves?

So, I went back to my bedroom, as far away from the contractor as possible, and I called a Christian Science practitioner for some prayerful help.

Wouldn’t you know it, I got voicemail, so I left a message and realized I could deal with this on my own. Well, maybe with a “little” help from God!

I sat at my desk staring out the window, catching my breath, imploring myself to find some reasonable, decent, intelligent way to address the frustration and impatience I was feeling.

Well, I figured, at least I’d calmed down enough to leave a rational sounding voicemail message. At least I was willing to find a prayerful alternative to turning purple and shouting.

Then, as I centered myself on my chair and let the clock tick off at least 10 seconds, I decided to pray. I decided to locate a mellow, gentle way of thinking about the circumstance, a more peaceful way that, frankly, I wanted to embrace a whole lot more than the alternative.

Thoughts of self-justification were just a’floodin’ in, and I had to decide to, as Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Stand porter at the door of thought” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 392 ). Which thoughts was I willing to accept and which ones would I watch drift away like leaves floating along a river, carried off downstream?

Then, after I demonstrated a little discipline and showed some willingness to step back from the intensity of the moment, I was able to gain some composure. A neat idea came to me. Again, it was something Mary Baker Eddy wrote:

“The right thinker abides under the shadow of the Almighty. His thoughts can only reflect peace, good will towards men, health, and holiness” (First Church of Christ, Scientist and Miscellany, p. 210 ).

That was just what I needed to remember as the worker kept busy in the other room.

Would throwing a fit and kicking the person out of my home before the work had been completed have achieved much at all, really? Maybe it would have made me feel like less of a doormat, but seriously, would that have been the best action on my part? Was a full-fledged denunciation really what the moment called for?

Indeed, were my thoughts “reflecting peace” just then? Hmm, if not, I needed to “watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure” (Science and Health, p. 497 ).

Certainly, expressing anger toward the contractor would in no way have reflected even the least amount of “good will toward men.”

I kept reasoning with myself like that for a few minutes. Then it dawned on me. I got a deeper insight into what it means to “abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” This was a real “whoa” moment for me!

That safe, satisfied, nurtured, respected, cared-for feeling one has when interacting with friendly people came to me. It was like, “OK, here, right now, even though I’m by myself in my bedroom, I can have that very same feeling.” That is what it feels like to “abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Contentedness to let God’s goodness govern my moments, willingness to show some humility and enjoy a bowl of grace at the table God is always setting before me (and everyone) no matter where I am or what’s going on around me.

A few minutes later, the contractor called for me from the hallway. I just marched right out there with a humble sense, trusting that everything would be A.O.K. I didn’t let my thought drift back to the incident where my wishes had been ignored. I just stayed focused on abiding “under the shadow of the Almighty” in that “secret place” where I knew everything was settled and would always be, where some kind of innocent appreciation of myself and everyone I’d ever come into contact with simply ushered the discontent right out and cuddled the happiness right in.

And our conversation went all right. In fact, a few hours later, the person was even doing some extra work to help with an unrelated need that had to be looked after without being asked.

Talk about progress. I’m so grateful that we hear God in prayer.