Back in my business days, this was my story:
Why do I have to go to work today of all days? I’ve got a thousand other things going on, plus or minus. Not to mention, work has become drudgery! My boss is a pistol—on his good days. I’m bored silly—on my good days. What is the point of this job when you get right down to it? And while I’m in full-gripe mode, I should mention, I hate fighting traffic, this coffee stain on my shirt is the worst, and I might be getting a cold.
Minor troubles, some say. Well, they’re contented sorts, and I’m happy for them, genuinely. But on this morning, I’m just not there yet. So I do what I should have done at the start of my tumbling mood, I pray: “God, open my heart and show me the true measure of my circumstances.” A moment later it dawns on me that no one owes me anything just because I’m born onto this planet—that I’m free to choose whether to grumble or to praise.
Well, I choose you Lord!
So let me start my day again: Thank you Lord for my family. Thank you that I have a job; that I have a way to put food on the table—by traversing across this city to meet with people and serve them and maybe even tell them how my shirt got stained. Thank you Lord that I once was blind but now I see; and so now I can think beyond myself to feel and care for them. Thank you Lord that I have an opportunity to encourage them and to make their day better instead of always obsessing about mine.
I flat-out thank you Lord, my all, for every breath I take! Thank you that you are with me through this low spot. Thank you that your Word says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Cor 1:3-4). Indeed, I am blessed beyond words.
Thank you Lord for talking with me. I feel better.
Kevin Murray
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