I received a wake-up call Friday night. It was the second one this week. I guess some things just take a while to get through my thick head.
Tuesday, a friend told me he lost his job. He’s a father of two and his wife stays home with the kids. Friday, I called a friend because I had missed her birthday on Thursday. In the back of my mind I thought I had a good excuse since Thursday was moving day. A week before when she and I traded emails, I learned her dad was in the hospital. Her dad was still in the hospital Friday and at one point during the week, the doctors told her that he wasn’t going to make it*.
Whoa. Where is my head?
I’ve been so self-consumed - moving, setting up a temporary residence, etc. – that I had lost all perspective. A good friend received one of the most devastating messages in her life and I’m worried about being inconvenienced by moving in with a friend? The sole provider of a family now faces unemployment. There are others I know who are battling cancer or are going through separation and divorce.
Reality check.
Tragedy by cnynfreelancer
Wrapped Up
Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own problems that we can’t see beyond them. I was in that place. I was having my own pity party that I missed the opportunity to be a friend and a light into others’ darkness. My situation comes with its struggles but the reality is that no one has died. I’m not going to be homeless. My stuff that will be in storage is just stuff, which I will learn to live without. (Suddenly selling all my stuff and following Jesus seems a whole lot more doable.) And, more importantly, when we take our eyes off from our problems to help others, our problems don’t seem so overwhelming. By focusing on our problems and staying stuck, we exacerbate the issue. It becomes magnified in our minds. Shift your thinking to someone or something else.
Do your problems seem insurmountable today? Who in your life may be facing more daunting circumstances? How can you reach out to them? Don’t miss your chance to lend an ear or a shoulder to a friend this week. And remember, God walks with us – sometimes even carries us – through our difficulties. He will never allow anything in your life that you cannot handle in his strength.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT): Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Romans 12:15 (NLT): Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.
* Do you know of any books that help prepare people for death – both the person and the family? My friend asked for recommendations.
