It was summer, and I was at college working for the summer. The pay wasn’t the best, but at least I had a job at the campus grocery store. Checking out the customers’ groceries and stocking the shelves kept me busy. Only one top shelf with the ready to eat breakfast cereal was a challenge. Those boxes of cereal kept falling on the floor.

I tried stacking them different ways making sure the customers could easily reach them. Nothing seemed to help. Picking them up and replacing them on the shelf seemed endless. Of course, I blamed the boxes for falling. My patience grew thin and my irritation increased. I began to dislike myself for my lack of patience.

Walking back to my room that evening I thought of Daniel in Babylon. Three times a day he would go home to meditate and commune with his God. I decided to try that for myself. Having an hour for lunch, I could easily fit that into my day. Taking my favorite book, “The Desire of Ages,” I read and prayed morning, noon and evening. I don’t remember asking for patience, I just wanted to spend more time with God.

Days later while stocking the cereals, I stopped to pick up yet another box from the floor and replaced it on the top shelf. I heard a voice in my mind, “You’re not mad are you?” I gasped in surprise and realized I wasn’t angry. I thought back and couldn’t remember when I last got irritated from having to pick up yet another box. God had taken that anger from me as I had taken time to spend with Him.

Anonymous