It was a difficult evening.  My husband was scheduled to perform a magic show, and we thought it was in Muncie, Indiana.  However, as we drove in that direction, the GPS kept directing us to get off of I-69.  Wondering why this was happening, we pulled over and discovered that our destination was not Muncie but was Marion, Indiana!

“Oh, no!” I exclaimed, “We have another hour to go!  We’re going to be late!”

Arriving only ten minutes late, my husband met the family for whom he was going to perform and began unloading his props.  While doing so, another gentleman approached the home and saw Jeff with his arms full.  They began conversing, and this guy introduced himself as also being the hired magician.

“I was hired as the magician, too,” Jeff remarked.

Within minutes, the family explained that the time of the party had been pushed back, and they had tried multiple times to contact Jeff about this but was unable to do so.  Therefore, they hired another magician.  Calmly, my husband Jeff apologized for the dilemmas he was having with his cell phone and gave the show opportunity to the other magician.

In this situation as with many occurrences every day, miscommunication happens.  When these exchanges do take place, it is not a matter of how you speak your own message but how we respond to the others’.

Lord, as we interact with all those around us, help us to speak less and listen more, doing so with calmness, kindness, and patience.  In Your name I pray, Amen.