“His peace will protect your hearts and minds as you live in
Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:7
Time flowed like tar. Marsha checked her phone for the time. Three minutes had passed since she last
checked an hour ago. Or so it seemed. God she hated this job.
Marsha had moved back in with her parents last year to save
money. She’d like to get her own place
again. Or get a job much closer to her
parents’ house because the current commute was killing her. It was long, stressful, and involved multiple
modes of transportation.
As a Telemetry technician in a large hospital, Marsha places
electrodes on patients’ chests to monitor their heart activity. The data collected is sent to a cardiologist
for evaluation and specialized treatment.
She’d been in a bit of a ‘funk’ for quite some time now, but lately it’s been getting much worse. She frequently gets massive headaches on the way to work, just thinking about work. Patients and families can be so demanding and disrespectful. Wearing a ‘phony smile’ all day really taxes one’s spirit.
She’d been in a bit of a ‘funk’ for quite some time now, but lately it’s been getting much worse. She frequently gets massive headaches on the way to work, just thinking about work. Patients and families can be so demanding and disrespectful. Wearing a ‘phony smile’ all day really taxes one’s spirit.
Staring at a mind-numbing bank of computer monitors, Marsha
almost jumped out of her skin when her cell buzzed. It was an email from her brother-in-law stationed
in Iraq. Something about it shouted urgency,
so she opened it and began reading.
"Today, a roadside bomb put two of my friends in the
infirmary. One lost an arm. His left eye was destroyed, and most of his
nose, lips, and teeth were missing. Through
a badly mangled face, he whispered: “How am I going to take care of my
family," since I can no longer lead soldiers in combat?”
“OMG” Marsha replied.
“I’m so terribly sorry for your friend.
You mentioned two friends.
What happened to the other one?”
After an unusually long pause, the soldier answered simply
“He died!”
Suddenly Marsha realized how lucky she was. No matter how bad her situation was, someone
else’s is worse. Her job may look
fabulous to someone who is unemployed or to someone who is barely making
minimum wage. Maybe her commute looks
like a Caribbean cruise to a soldier suspicious of any object on the side of a
road looking for IED’s (improvised explosive devices - the leading cause of
death for American soldiers in Iraq).
Be thankful for what you have and what God does for you!
When you find yourself comparing your life to those who have
more or who are doing things you want to do, remember that it’s all about
perspective. Why not remember how many
people would be happy to be living your life? Remind yourself to look at the “cup” as half
full instead of half empty. It helps to
stop and remember how lucky and blessed you really are.
Thank you God for giving me health, for the food You provide, for the
awareness You have awakened in me. Thank you for the energy that feeds my soul,
the sun that warms my body and the air that fills my lungs. Amen
