Real Life?

I know that everyone has the typical day where everything seems to go south. We woke up with the scream of one of our little dogs that had been bitten by our other little dog. There was blood all over the bed and I was both sad and mad.  We quickly did first aid with our little Peanut and she was on the road to recovery. It was only a few minutes latter when I heard my wife screaming about needing help only to discover that the connecting hose to the toilet had broken. There was water squirting everywhere. It took most of our towels to mop up the bathroom mess.

I attempted to turn the water off but discovered that it was still leaking. So I rushed outside to turn off the water main. I called a friend who came over to replace the toilet parts later in the day. My wife was getting ready to do her chapel service at her hospital only to discover that we didn’t have any blank CD’s. So I had to rush off once the stores opened to get her CD and then burn the songs she needed for chapel that day. 

I just got off the phone with a friend from a distance. He was someone that gave a substantial gift who I had never met face to face. He called up to get some advice. I was so appreciative of his heart to serve and give of himself. He was struggling with knowing whether to retire and do something really different or continue working with recently released convicts. He is a very humble guy that was surprised that God was using him in such a profound way. I tried to assure him that God would use him wherever he decided to live. I also encouraged him to get his friends who are involved with his prison ministry to step up and take more responsibility to see the work continue in a healthy fashion.

Today I will go in and have a couple of skin cancer sites surgically removed. It’s not life threatening but will involve deep incisions and stitches which will be painful. Yes, life has times where we snap at each other and cause hurt and other times where we have to make crucial decisions.  What stands out between my little dog injury and my various friends that have life struggles is that having a friend can make all of the difference in the world. I can’t fathom being a teen that has been abused by a parent or uncle being forced to stay in that home because you don’t have the ability to ask someone for help.

Real life means I have to figure out how to live with feelings that aren’t always so great. What is the basis of someone’s sense of self-worth? The aftermath of a shooting in Missouri and the suicide of a well known actor – comedian makes it difficult to know how anyone can survive in today’s world. The truth of the matter is that life has to be more than appearance, means or position. Yet, this is what usually defines who we are in life according to our peers.  I learned a lot from my friend asking for advice in that he was humble and real which so often I want attention and notoriety which means I’m not as quick to reveal my true feelings.

One of my favorite quotes, which I have posted online, says this, “It isn’t what we say or think that define us, but what we do.” Another post had a simple message about the fact that no act of kindness is ever wasted!