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Perspective

Acts 16:22-25 "The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God..."

Paul and Silas weren't having such a great day...but some days things happen that put everything in perspective...

     Monday, February 28 was not such a great day. It was a stressful day at work. We have new employees training, billing issues, staff shortages, and attitudes. I work in an office full of women that is often long on hormones and short on fuses! (And I love them all!)
     In the midst of the chaos at work, my daughter calls. She needs a fax...now...I have to help her. I don't really have time to deal with this, but apparently - neither does she.
     Of course, I leave for home - late - I leave her fax at the office. I spend most of my ride home trying to get it faxed or scanned to me. Fortunately my commute is an hour one way so I had plenty of time to work on it... This is how I find out that my husband has had our fax line disconnected and has no idea how to connect the phone line to the fax machine...
     I forgot I had a hair appt and ended up eating peanut butter for supper. And as any working woman knows, the demands don't stop when you get home.
     Just about the time I am ready to run screaming into the night, the call comes from my daughter in law: PRAY. A truck has hit an IED near Jared's unit. Jared is ok, but others are not so fortunate. One is dead and there are others with horrific injuries. I guess they didn't have such a great Monday, either...
     Actually, looking back....
  • We are short staffed and stressed at work because we are busy. In the current economic climate, I have job security.
  • Thanks to a helpful employee who stayed late to help me, I got the errant fax emailed to me and I didn't have a wreck in the process.
  • The urgent fax my daughter needed was to clear up an insurance error. We got it staightened out and it saved her a LARGE sum of money and allowed her to renew her tag. Some days she is still very dependent, but she is alive and healthy.
  • The demands at home come from having a family that care about and help each other.
  • I like peanut butter
Most of all - today - my son is ok. Somewhere, a mother has learned that her son is not coming home the way she planned - instead he will be coming through Dover AFB. Others are learning of the horrible injuries, treatment, and recovery issues they will be facing.

WE ARE SO BLESSED AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IT. Paul and Silas knew. That's why they could sing at midnight..

Lord, Help us not to get so caught up in the day to day that we forget what is important - family, friends, relationships with others and with You. Help us to focus on our blessings and not on our frustrations.

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