There are some things in life that I have learned in a hard way. It has actually happened not just once, but several times! Let me explain!

1.When I was an employee at Fedex Kinkos,I made a very silly mistake. I came in one morning and there was a big well written poster with the words, “HAPPY 7TH ANNIVERSARY Amy!” “Why Amy!” I asked as I took an offense immediately! Why? Because a day before, I had celebrated my 26th wedding anniversary without any one saying anything! And so I would not understand why they chose to congratulate Amy! I went about doing my duties but deep inside me, there was hard feelings. During the employees’ meeting, the assistant manager started by saying that the company was happy to recognize the 7 year service of Amy! Yes, it wasn’t a wedding anniversary but rather a work anniversary! Can you believe how I felt.

2. One day,a friend was fired. He was really upset with this other friend whom he suspected was behind his being fired! He actually called him names and told him his peace of mind! He was very surprised to find out that indeed this guy knew nothing about his being fired! Instead, it was his closest friend who told on him!

3.When we lived in Texas, our house was broken in day light. A computer, TV, and System was stolen. Then, I thought that I knew who had stolen. Imagine the pain when I found out that it was stolen by a family friend that I least expected.

4.Several times I have preached at places that I had not been to before. At the end of the sermon, I have found one or two people extremely annoyed that I preached about them! The interesting thing is that I had no prior idea as to who those people were!

5.Not long ago, whenever I send a write up to this particular forum, someone always wrote something negative. I was very surprised to find out that it was one that I considered and treated as a dear friend for many years!

6.There were these two young men who shared an apartment and worked for the same company. One of them had a problem with the manager and he stood to loose his job. One day, he received through the post office,what he thought was his letter of termination. He took the letter, opened it,read it, and tore it into pieces. He then sat down and wrote a very nasty
e-mail, calling his boss all kinds of names. The boss was shocked beyond measure! Why! Because it was his friend who had been fired and not him.

Have you ever found yourself in this kind of situation? Here is my 2 cents advise. “Even when you think that you have all the answers, please think again for you might hurt someone who had nothing against you!” Do you see my point!

Just a thought!

Pt Birai
612-386-4608
www.themaranathasdachurch.org

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Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 14:40:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: Absalom Birai
Subject: Re: Before reacting!