In great frustration I found myself standing in line at the Department of Revenue yesterday, because they can’t assign me an employer tax number electronically like the IRS does…..no! I have to come down to the office and fill out paperwork. This is an example of government abusing people rather than serving them, but I digress.

While standing in line, quite perturbed, and not enjoying the emotion welling up inside of me, I decided there was a better use of my time, so I looked around the room and began to pray for people. There was the 40-something black man; I prayed that he’d be well-loved by a woman who would encourage him and care for him. In front of him was the woman with the hunch back–obviously something wrong; I prayed for her health and healing. And then there was the little girl, between two and three years old; I prayed the parents who were with her would love each other much, take care of each other, come to know Jesus and raise the little girl in an atmosphere where she’d know Him, too.

I noticed as I prayed there was an abrupt shift in my emotions. OH, I was still waiting in line, but my wait had been put to better use and I was able to endure it. And, who knows what happened at a supernatural level because of what I asked God to do in the lives of those oblivious people?

Life is full of lines and frustrations. It’s gonna happen. In the midst of it the scripture speaks of “redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:16). One way to make good use of time that feels frustratingly stolen, is to invest it in blessing the people around us. It’ll help them, and it’ll help you to!