God's Slap on the Behind

I have been so complacent lately. We have been struggling in a couple of ways but haven't told many people. It's not as bad as it could be but it is very uncomfortable and instead of drawing nearer to the Lord, I have been struggling with my selfishness. I want to know "why me" but, well, God gave me a little slap in the behind to straighten me up today. We learned of our pediatrician's loss of her sweet baby boy. He was only a week or so old and as I look at baby Oscar, our healthy sweet boy born only a little over a month before her baby and see that he is healthy, breathing and thriving, my heart breaks for her. I cannot imagine the pain that she and her husband are going through and nothing can prepare a person for that. I am reminded how incredibly selfish I have been in the last few months or so. We may have no money, and we may be struggling but we are SO VERY BLESSED by God to have what we do have. Three beautiful children and a happy, healthy marriage...if we don't have all of the possessions in the world, we do have these things and most importantly we have our relationship with Jesus Christ, the Savior that made our lives worth living.

Strife with our parents, siblings, friends...none of it is worth being angry over. A lack of funds is no reason to fuss and fight with each other. Nothing is worth saying unkind words, thinking ugly thoughts or pushing others away. This is a time to think of how we can be a blessing to others instead of thinking of ways to make our own lives better. The Lord has His plan and it may not be what we want but it surely is much more beautiful than our own plans for our lives could ever be. It may be painful at times but He is so loving and kind and gives so freely the grace that gets us through and draws us nearer to Him that the pain is worth the beauty of God's love and our relationship with Him.

So I am thankful that God has opened my eyes to my selfishness and has shown me just how blessed I am. I am also thankful that He has grabbed me by the shoulders and redirected me so that I can work towards helping others anytime that I can instead of dwelling on the stress that occurs in my own life. What is stress??? I just know that God is with me and therefore I can breathe a little easier no matter what circumstances I may go through.

Dr. B, we are praying for you, your husband and your family. May God's grace and peace comfort you and may you know that you are very loved and appreciated.