I Know This Is Hard To Believe... But It Could Be Worse

Every time I really feel sorry for myself, I am reminded that my life could be worse than it actually is. I went running through a field with my son today. I am old, out of shape, and I almost turned my ankle twice trying to catch up with him. He's five, by the way. As we were running back to the truck, I thought about how hard it will be to run with him when he's a teenager. I will be older, and he will be taller, stronger, and better looking than me. And I wouldn't have that any other way. But I also thought about the man I saw at my job this past week. He was in a wheelchair and did not have the use of his legs. He is still able to drive himself around in a specially modified car, and he seems to have life under control. But he cannot run with his son like I can. And I realize again that I am truly blessed. My wife and I have met countless people who had difficulties with their children being born with major health problems that we never had to deal with. And for that we are blessed. I have to tell you this so that I can remind myself how fortunate I am for the life I have. I am not rich.... And that really ticks me off! But, I have met many people with more money than me who seem to have lives that are worse off than mine.

I guess I should have stated earlier that I had a very frustrating week. Nothing that was life threatening, but just an exceptionally stressful week. And it is during days and weeks like these when I want to ask God, "Why can't I win the lottery? Certainly all of my troubles would go away if I simply didn't have to worry about money, or job satisfaction, or fulfillment." God never answers me when I ask that question. But He does show me how good my life really is. I have a wife that loves me. I have a son that still thinks I am cool. And we are alive to fight another day. I know what you are thinking. You are probably thinking, "Great. You're blessed. Why should I care?" And you probably shouldn't care. But, I think that you can use my experience and apply it to your life. Think about where you could be right now. I know I could be in jail, dead, or homeless if not for God watching out for me. There were times in my life that I literally didn't care what happened to me. I didn't care if I lived or died. Scratch that. I did want to live, but I was in so much mental anguish that I would have died to make the pain go away. So even though life is not perfect (and it isn't), I know that God is still in control. And I know that my life could definitely be worse. If you don't believe me, just check out the evening news and see how much suffering there is in the world. Then evaluate your life. I think you will find something there that you can count as a blessing.

Peace and Love,

Rev. Mike





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