It came to pass that as a helps to my sister did I take her mowing machine and the broken parts in hand to the repair shop ...to order the correct parts ...that I might fix it ...now at the shop of the merchant did the men working for him check the model, serial number and look themselves to see the broken parts in hand ...then did they (these men that worked for the merchant) look to a computer screen to see and compare the parts in hand with those depicted on the screen ...and thus of all this did they order the parts ...and it was presumed by me and the men that worked for the merchant that the correct parts would come in to the shop in a week to ten days ...a simple and common thing ...and yet was the Lord to show me of these matters...
Now the time passed and I was called to pick up the parts ...and with great joy did I go again to the merchants shop to pick up the parts ...hoping to repair my sisters mower...Yet Behold upon arriving none of the merchants men appeared but the merchant himself ...the owner of the shop...and he did say to me, "are you here then to pick up your parts that you ordered?" To this I said, "yes" ...and so he rummaged around and brought forth a bag of parts and laid them on the table ...yet these parts were not the right parts (though they appeared similar) ...to this I said, "oh no these are not the right parts ...I must go out to the truck and bring in the broken ones to show you for you have ordered the wrong parts." When I got back we compared one unto another ...and they were not the right parts ...to this the merchant exploded in anger ...and veins stuck out in his stiff neck ...and he accused me of deceiving him and ordering the wrong parts ...further he demanded that I pay a return shipping fee and a restocking fee ...as he totaled it up smiting the numbers on the calculator the sum he demanded was round about $35 to $40.
Now I was amazed and astonished ...at his rudeness, vulgarity and ignorance of the matter ...yet more astounded within myself ...for the Lord had put a peace upon me ...and my old man (who might have laid hands on the merchant for his rudeness) this old man was gone ...an amazing thing came from my lips as I quietly and gently helped the raging merchant with the plainness of the matter ...and offered to pay half of the costs of the mistake ...though the mistake be not mine ...yet offered him peace and a decrease of his loss ...to this he exploded again with greater wrath ...and charged me to leave the shop and never return ...and this he challenged as though he might rise up to do me harm.
Now even in this was the Lord peace upon me ...and he would not let me submit to my old man ...yet I calmly turned my back to the merchant and slowly proceeded to the door ...where I stood quietly looking upon the unworthy merchant ...and I said to him ... "I did not come here to rob you neither to disquiet you in any manner ...yet you yell and rave telling me to leave ...and not to return ...so be it... but I have one question". At this he looked to me intently... I said, "Why have you robbed yourself? For I did offer to pay as a blessing for half of the cost of your mistake." At this he exploded yet a third time ...and yelled out for me to leave and not to return to the shop again ...and so I left.
Yet as I traveled from the place no disquietness came upon me... in the past ...of my old man ...I would have railed against this dungly treatment and angered myself for hours ...yet I was at peace for the Lord had held my peace to reveal something within this matter within myself and the unworthy merchant ...so I prayed thanksgiving to the Lord ...for the peace I held within ...and for the quietness of his showing and teaching me ...and I inquired further what I might receive of the matter to share with others.
I believe that the lesson is this: that these unworthy merchants will never be satisfied with earned profit or fair gain ...but are of such hearts that that are not satisfied unless they rob you ...and that in your face ...as this one tried ...yet the Lord withstood him ...and stayed me to submit to the learning for my sake.
So I share this witness with others ...not to let the robbing merchants bring them disquietness ...but pray for the Lords peace in all matters of buying and selling ...that he might bless you ...standing for us against robbing merchants ...that our peace might be full by the hand of the Lord ...blessed and holy and righteous is he who stands in the gap for us ...and of him I say ...it is he who does these things and not I ...of myself or of my own thinking or understanding ...it is he who helps and keeps us in every affliction that comes near unto us ...
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