God used a simple incident to mould my character

Romans 12:18-20, “18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”says the Lord. 20 Therefore “ If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.””

I remembered there was once when I left the main door to my house wide open over the entire night after I came home late one night. It was only discovered by my dad the following morning and I was woken up by the huge commotion caused by the uproar of my family members as they thought someone had broken into the house. Actually I did not even know I forgot to lock the door. It was the first time such an incident had happened and this was probably due to my carelessness that my hands were full from carrying something bulky into the house. My elder sister was particularly angry as she was very particular about safety matters in the house. It was no wonder that she kept complaining and complaining to my dismay. While I felt guilty over the incident, I was also annoyed by my sister’s behavior. No one likes to be scolded over and over again. Of course I apologized for my carelessness and promised my family that I would not allow this to happen in future.

That same night when I was back, I discovered the lock was arranged in a manner that it would be difficult for me to open. My family members knew that due to my bigger hands, the lock need to be arranged in a particular way such that I could easily reach it and open it. However this time, it was arranged otherwise. To my frustration in trying to reach it, I had no choice but to press the door bell for help even though it was late. This moment my sister opened the door and told me that she deliberately wanted to teach me a lesson for leaving the door open the other night. I was so angry that I almost threw a punch at her. At that time, I was still a very young Christian and my aggressive nature was still in me. I could not imagine she could think of doing something so childish for her age. Thank God the Holy Spirit in me arrested me. My heart stopped me from doing something foolish. I just kept quiet while I accepted her comments and went in. My blood was boiling and my face fiercely red though. However I wanted to obey God and keep His ways.

Interestingly a week later, I came home late again and this time I saw a bunch of keys dangling in the key hole of my main door. The key pouch hanging from the keys clearly indicated that they belonged to my sister. “I got you this time!” I cried to myself. While the thought of creating a huge scene out of this rare opportunity did crossed my mind, I humbly took out the keys, entered the house and left the key pouch on my sister desk quietly. I knew what Jesus would do if He was placed in the same situation. I obeyed Him again. In fact my sister did not just leave her keys in the key hole once but twice!
Two times I repeated the same response. Although I never bring up my sister carelessness to anyone including her following the events, somehow I felt that she knew what had happened and I believe she felt convicted to a certain extent.

Although I felt that Romans 12:18-20 speaks very intimately of this situation but at the same time, Hosea 6:6, “6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” would also speak of this story in a better manner.

This was one of the few incidents which God used to mould my character as I obeyed His prompting. It was very uneasy for me in these situations as my flesh was always screaming to do otherwise, but it got easier and easier each time. Nevertheless, it was always to my own benefit whenever I obey Him. He is my spiritual Father after all; always wanting the best for my life.

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