In early January, I started a devotional about recent events that caused me a great deal of aggravation:

• I miscalculated the credit card purchases for a remodelling project in my daughter's home and discovered that I will have to pay off an additional USD 1,000 (CAD 1,440) at the end of the month.
• My garbage disposal died, so I had a new one installed. Afterwards, I discovered my icemaker and reverse osmosis water dispenser weren't working and I couldn't figure out why.
• I had a new microwave installed. While washing dishes several weeks later, I heard an ominous noise and looked over to see the microwave dangling about four inches below the cabinet, held up only by the brace on the wall. Thankfully, I was able to prop it up while calling for help.

None of my issues that week were major or unsolvable, but they added up to a sense of unease, making me feel like I didn't have control of what was going on in my life. In fact, they all were fixed or repaired, so I wrote these two paragraphs:

But if I'd focused instead on my blessings that week, I'd remember: our ladies' Bible study started and the group quickly melded together, our family remodeling project is going well, I'm sleeping better and have more energy, and, unlike the rest of the United States, we have sunshine and easy-to-deal-with temperatures.

The next Sunday, my pastor closed his sermon with this: "Jesus knows the heart of every man. This is why His spirit works to draw us to Him. He knows us. He knows it all. His heart is for us to desire eternal things in real life and to come to Him, living each day in belief and faith in Him, living not by our own ambitions or anything in this world, but feeding on Him and His Words, His grace, moment by moment and day by day. Do we trust in Him or are we desiring some lesser blessing?"

Then, a week later, I discovered that I didn't have any hot water. As I write, my son-in-law is installing a new water heater. Meanwhile, I turned on a light switch in the kitchen: no power — a faulty, and expensive, 100-amp circuit breaker. Today is another aggravating day. Now, I'm rereading what I wrote earlier this month and learning the lesson all over again!

If we let them, small things can add up and take the joy out of our lives. Instead, let's focus on the eternal things in real life, living each day in belief and faith in Him.

Philippians 4:12b,13 – I have learned the secret of living in every situation … with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (NLT)

Prayer: Father, give us the strength for daily, and sometimes troubling, issues, and help us see them in perspective, choosing instead to trust in You and to desire the eternal blessings in life. Amen.

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About the author:

Sharon Cook <craftercook@gmail.com>
Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
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