How someone else acts is their responsibility. How you react is your responsibility.

Gertie allowed her losses to define who she had become. She lost a cherished ministry within her community. She lost her son, the son who was most excited about the trip, before he could enjoy even one step of the adventure. She lost material possessions at the hands of the French soldiers.

She allowed these losses to define who she was becoming – cynical, unforgiving, hateful, fearful, and judgmental.

Gertie had to learn to rely on her faith to define who she wanted to become. She had to learn that to grow in grace she needed to allow the Holy Spirit to transform her temperament.

Some lessons Gertie needed to learn:

1. Bad things happen to good people.
2. God puts us in the most impossible situations so that His glory would be revealed when the relief comes.
3. Satan wants to sift us like wheat.
4. God calls us to be gentle and humble, patient, bearing with one another, keeping the unity among believers (Ephesians 4:1-3 NIV)
5. Knowing the Word of God in your head does not mean it has reached your heart and life.
6. Relief from stressful situations does not happen overnight.
7. The works of the flesh are hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions…(Galatians 5:19-21 NIV)
8. God calls us to wait on Him. Trust Him to act while we wait patiently.
9. The person who allows the Holy Spirit full control will be overflowing with “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, (and) self-control” (Galatians 5:22,23 NIV)
10. The filling of the Spirit is not automatic like the indwelling of the Spirit that you receive at the time of salvation. The filling comes with yielding. A person must request the filling over and over again and yield to the Spirit. The characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit cannot be worked for. They come with the filling and can be yours to overflowing depending on how much you yield to the Spirit.

Gertie needs to learn how to deal with difficult people the Biblical way. She said she believes the Bible, but does she live by it? The events in her life during this trip will test her and hopefully change her to a growing, gracious member of God’s community in her little corner of the world.

NOTE: I have written a chapter on the subject of “Dealing with Difficult People” in a collaborative book titled, “Patience” (it is one book in a series of books on the Fruit of the Spirit). The book will be released mid-May. Watch for more information about the release and possible pre-orders.

Recipe: Molasses Ammonia Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 5 1/2 cups flour (approx.)
• 1 1/4 cups sweet cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 1/2 tsp. ammonia
• 1/2 tsp. cloves

Dough should be soft. Roll out and cut with 3″ cookie cutter. Bake.

As with many recipes from old books, the instructions are not complete. It does not give the temperature nor the length of the baking time. It is assumed the baker knows these things.

If you try this recipe, please comment in the box below and tell me how they turn out.

Please check out https://polishhousewife.com/ammonia-cookies/ for an explanation about using ammonia in baking.