Happy New Year. Be blessed and be a blessing!

Monday, July 2, 2007

Final Library Trip: A Choice

If you read my previous post on INTEC's library, you will know that something happened today that inspired me to write a post on the library in INTEC. Indeed something happened this morning.

As a standard procedure of INTEC, students are required to "check out" of INTEC after their graduation. After some procrastination, I managed to drag my heavy body up this morning and went to school to check out. One of the steps required me to go to the library and to clear all my records from the library.

When the librarian scanned my card, it was found that I still owed the library two books. Frankly speaking, I do not know how the system in the library works. The screen showed that I borrowed two books somewhere in November and I was supposed to return them on 6th January 2007. Then the screen showed that I had returned the books on the 8th January but I had not paid my 40 cents fine (1 day late 10 cents for 1 book). I didn't feel like arguing so I was ready to pay that 40 cents. After all, it was just 40 cents. Then, the librarian told me that because the books were still recorded under my name, I needed to present them with that two books. Only then could they clear my record.

I was stunned. I had returned the books. I was ready to pay that 40 cents for nothing. And now they wanted me to show them these two books. "How can I find these two books? What if someone had borrowed them?" A lot of "what-ifs" ran into my mind. I tried to argue with the librarian that I didn't mind paying 40 cents but I did not want to look for that two books in the midst of thousand other books. My blood was boiling at that moment, but I wasn't angry. Instead, if I wasn't mistaken, I was still smiling and laughing though I spoke with a stern voice to the librarian. My friend told me that the librarian was trying to bully me and that I shouldn't be bullied. Hence, the argument.

After arguing without coming to a solution, I agreed to find the books. He gave me the codes for the two books and I started "googling" in the library. Knowing how the books in the library were mess up and did not go according to the codes sometimes, I felt like I did not have any chance to recover those two books. My friend told me, "Pray," before she left to do other things. I prayed. "God, I need to find these two books. I believe you will show me where they are." There they were, right in front of my eyes. Both books! Side by side! Before that, I couldn't find a single book and now, after praying, they were there. Again, recalling my previous post on coincidence. How many of you here believe that it was a coincidence? =D

Happily, I went over to the counter again to settle the mess. The librarian scanned those two books. I went O__o''' The screen showed RM16.80 fine for each book. (Remember? I was suppose to return this book on 6th January, and it is 2nd July) That was RM33.60 for two books. My mind was racing again. "Do I have to pay for something I don't deserve? God, help me." After looking at me, the librarian took out a piece of paper. This was what he wrote on the paper.

"Buku dijumpai di rak. Denda dibatalkan. Signature."

Praise the Lord. I did not have to pay that RM33.60. Still, he told me that I still had to pay 40 cents. Fine fine. I took out a dollar and passed it to the librarian. Being a novice in math (I guess), he returned me 70 cents. Now, I had the fullest rights to keep that extra 10 cents after what happened to me. I had every rights to claim that 10 cents as compensation for mental damages. Or like a certain scholar said, "as compensation for using up the prayer credit". But I remembered something my pastor said two weeks ago,

"Christians do not live by chance. If you were sick, that was your best chance to be moody and angry the whole day. In fact, you have the right to do so. People will understand, and they will even pray for you. But Christians do not live by chance. Christians live by choice. Even in our worst moments, we can still choose to be happy, to be joyful, to let our inner man(our spiritual body) takes control instead of letting out outer man(physical body) takes control."

Those words rang in my mind and I decided to return back the 10 cents. If you guys out there know me well, you will know that I am very careful about money. I won't let loose every single cent. I will keep every cents well. I had a choice to let my anger took control and took that 10 cents for myself. After all, it was just 10 cents. However, I believed that God did not care about the value of the money. He cared more about the choice that I made at that time. The choice to still be joyful and honest, or the choice to be angry and greedy.

Finally, I returned back the extra 10 cents to the librarian. We exchanged smiles and I walked out of the library, for the last time. God taught me something precious today. He still answers prayer if I truly needs something. He gives me joy all the time, and I should not let anything(not even money) corrupt my mind and then do something that dishonor Him.

Choices. They are yours to make. Every morning we have choice to wake up or to continue our sleep. We have to choice to give thanks to God first or just go to work. We have choices in our life. What is your choice today?


Choosing,
Leen

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

another nice testimony Leen... so different from the rebellious Leen in the previous post.

you officially retired now? when can we see Pat taking over with new blog posts?

Z said...

thank you for the testimony. read it at d perfect time. struggling wif revision now.... Christians do not live by chance. Christians live by choice, how true.

Z
ex-CA member