A Little Perspective

The Lord just gave me some perspective and I thought I'd pass it on to you. Some might call it a reality check; I'd like to rather think of it as "perspective". I've been in a perpetual on-again-off-again argument with a loved one. Today it seemed to topple over into every-day life and I have been having a good ol' pity party with myself for the last hour or so, tears included. To mentally distract myself I figured I'd read my email and saw an update from a friend.

This friend has an 18-month old niece, who last week was airlifted to Brenner's Children's Hospital with heart issues. I mean the kind of heart issues where they thought IF she makes it, she'll definitely need a heart transplant. Did I mention she is 18-months old? Did I mention that this friend and spouse are - as I type - on their way to the mission field? For the first time? So anyway, this update. It was a good one. Her heart has neither worsened or gotten better. She's off a ventilator and has even taken some juice. They are hoping to send her home in a week or so.

And the Lord pierced my heart with a little dose of reality. Yes, the tension with this loved one is valid, is worth the energy to fix, gets the attention of the Almighty. But I am BLESSED to be able to focus my thoughts solely on this petty argument when I could have much much bigger issues occupying my thoughts. I need to keep that perspective. Yes, God calls me to be at peace, as much as it depends on me; and darn it, that's what I'm going to work towards. But in the process I also am going to be thinking of that darling little 18-month old with piggie-tails, hooked up to all sorts of machines, getting more echo-cardiograms than most of us will have in a lifetime, and be thankful that the Lord has just given me one problem to deal with tonight.

What about you friend. Are you in the throws of real drama? Are do you just think you are? Are you really in the blessed land of 'normal'?