Gratitude Beats a Bad Attitude

For over a week now our Internet access has been spotty, to say the least. Most days we have had no service at all. Other days it has been extremely slow.

My first reaction to this issue was to become frustrated, then to get upset. None of this accomplished anything so i just learned to accept it though i still didn't like it. The thought finally occurred to me that things could be so much worse.

I still had my health, a roof over my head and a loving family. To let something like the lack of Internet service get me down was just ridiculous. I was being spoiled and ungrateful. The truth of the matter is my blessings far out weigh my petty inconveniences and gripes. How pathetic that it takes insignificant matters such as this to make me realize the significance of God's grace toward me.

Jeremy called to find out what the problem was and it turned out to something with our tower. He can explain it much better than i can. I just repeat what he tells me. Since talking with the right people the situation has improved though there are times when it is still problematic.

Well, we have done all we know to do at this point. For now there is nothing else we can do. But there is something i can do about my attitude and that is to take my thoughts captive and submit them to the authority of Christ and stop worrying about things i have no control over.

Maybe it isn't always the easiest thing to do but it is the very best thing to do and something i will be working on this week.

Two O'clock Saturday Morning

Two o’clock Saturday morning, for some unknown reason, i woke up and could not get back to sleep. For an hour i just laid in the darkness, lost in thought. Nothing profound-just going over my to-do list in my head, rehashing events from the day before and trying to remember the title of the crazy song that keeps playing its annoying self in my mind. Though my mind was busy nothing was getting accomplished. As the minutes ticked away my frustration began to mount. Then it occured to me that i should pray.

Three o’clock Saturday morning, i began to pray. It was as if God was asking me, “Child, what took you so long?”. He knew the answer but i had to hear it for myself, “I was so distracted that i forgot.” Isn’t that true in all our lives and not just at two o’clock in the morning when we can’t sleep? Things happen, problems arise and crises occur but instead of taking it to God we turn to distractions. To numb the discomfort or pain we go to the kitchen for a bag of chips or ice cream. To keep ourselves from looking at our circumstances we busy ourselves with endless activity. To avoid being “exposed” to others we withdraw to the television or the internet. Satan uses many distractions to isolate us and prevent us from experiencing freedom and healing. The longer he can keep us distracted the harder it becomes for us to hear God calling out, “Come to me and I will give you rest.” Please beware of the distractions in your life that isolate and take your focus off the One who gives you peace.

Four o’clock Saturday morning, i thanked God for opening my sleepy eyes to the distractions in my life and asked Him to help me to be more aware of them in the future. I know He is smiling at this time. Then the eyes that know no sleep watched me as i drifted off to sleep.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and i will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28