Weak vs Meek

How would you react when some one walked up to your face and asked you to shut up!??
WHAT ???!!! yeah , this will probably be at the top of my joke book of the year ...

Time and place- May 6th while commuting in a public bus around 3pm in Hanoi ...

Persons involved- me and my friend who happened to be a doctor ...

The act -
we were sitting together talking quietly ( being foreigners in a bus full of Vietnamese, we are always discreet and try not to draw any unnecessary attentions...) . Suddenly, the driver stopped the bus and came up to us and shouted something that the whole bus could understand except us..We were apparently stunned and didn't know how to react.. then he put his fingers to his lips -only then do we understand that he had told us to SHUT UP...

What caused this? - no idea at all... my assumption is that the driver doesn't like foreigners taking public buses bec foreigners should take taxis!! but again if I were a loud blond American , he wouldn't dare to open his mouth.. but then again you know what assumptions could mean too right? lol..

My reactions-
the 1st thing I did was I prayed "God help me not to get angry... (those who know me know that I turn green and into the HULK thing with my mouth...) then I reminded myself not to react , sit tight and don't let it get into my system... as I've learnt well in Hanoi-don't allow the external to defile my soul... so there we sat- the thoughts have occurred to me that I should just get off the bus but then again why should I? I still needed to get home... or to shout and make a scene which I know I am very good at..- but then my Vietnamese language can't make it at all- shouting and screaming in English will also be like a joke bec no one, certainly not to expect the culprit, to understand a word..
I did say in my heart.. Lord I forgive.. I did feel that I had just endured injustice and that I have been shamed and embarassed, publicly humiliated.. I mean never in my life have someone walked up to my face and asked me to shut up... and this in a public bus...??? never...

( I know I know.. my sympathisers are all on their feet now telling me that I should tell him off , I should not keep quiet bec it is so weak but frankly to exercise constraint and be meek is so much harder and 'stronger' than to react... )


The morale of the story: Guard my testimony
-each time I make a stand to act or in this case not to react according to my flesh, I defeat the enemy
-each time I resist and choose to stand on my testimony, I defeat the enemy
-each time I testify, he is defeated

I looked back at the whole incident and I marvel at myself... you see I was on my way home from a bible study that day on the book of Revelation 12.. and I think I have learnt and applied the lessons taught... the enemy is defeated and no matter what crown he may have on his head- he is nothing but a clown bec he will never wear Victory on his head... Only Jesus wears the Victor's crown... I have come a long long way in the Lord and I still have a long long way but as much and as soon as I allow Him to transform me from the inside out- the more this broken vessel can reflect His light and His glory in the litle things that I do or say... yes Lord, more of You and less of me...

correction: I heard from my American friend that they too have been asked to shut up while riding on a bus- goodness... !! it is really difficult for one to understand how the society works bec they seem not to view 'customer service' as we do ??