The other day I was doing some grocery shopping at Shaw’s Market. For some reason I was in a bad mood, feeling rather irritable; but I guess that’s the way most men feel when they have to go shopping. As I was pushing the shopping cart around looking for the items on my list, I heard a man singing. He wasn’t just humming or singing quietly to himself; he was singing joyfully for all to hear.
As I got to the aisle where the mysterious, singing man was, I noticed that he was an employee. He was joyfully stocking shelves, smiling and greeting each person that passed by. My first thought was that this man was acting rather strangely. But as I continued shopping–and he continued singing–something began to change in me.
I noticed that I began to chuckle and smile as I listened to his voice bellow throughout the store. And as my chuckling and laughing increased, my irritable mood began to decrease. I was being affected by this man’s joy. He clearly didn’t care what others thought about him, and I admired that. He was just enjoying his work and letting others know it.
That experience reminded me that we can indeed have a positive effect on people by the way we live. That man had no idea that I was in an irritable mood, but his joy was infectious and I left the store feeling a bit happier than when I had arrived.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16).
I’m happy that the singing-Shaw’s-employee let his light shine that day so that my spirit could be uplifted.
Are you aware of your moods and how they affect others? Have you ever had the experience of your mood being changed, for good or for bad, by someone else’s behavior?
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I remember when I first decided to become Catholic, I went to my first Mass. I was so very nervous. The love and warmth that I received from the congregation and Father Nelson put me at ease and showed me that the Catholic Church was truly the place for me!
I remember a similar feeling to Kawana, so filled full of the Holy Spirit I began crying with joy, the emotions got too much.