As I staggered into the kitchen for my first cup of coffee, still half asleep, I saw it.  There was a huge stain on my dining room ceiling that was getting darker and darker, and the sheet rock was beginning to peel off!  I had a leak—and it was a big one!

In my mind, catastrophe loomed!  As Chicken Little said, “The sky is falling!  The sky is falling!”  only it was not the sky, it was the roof and the ceiling!

It was too early to call a roofer so with coffee in hand, I tried to settle down at the dining room table for my quiet time—right in sight of the damaged ceiling!

As I picked up a copy of Our Daily Bread, I sent up a silent prayer, “Oh, Lord,” I prayed. “Help me get focused.  Get my mind off the ceiling and on You.”   And He did—just not the way I expected!

“With a tendency toward pessimism, I quickly jump to conclusions about how situations in my life will play out,” wrote Kirsten Holmberg, author of the day’s Daily Bread meditation. “Defeat in one area unnecessarily affects my feelings in many!”

“Oh, that’s me, Lord,” I confessed as I snickered to myself, thanking Him for how often He answers me quickly as we talk each morning.

Then I read on.  “It’s easy for me to imagine how the prophet Habakkuk might have reacted to what God showed him.  He had great cause for despair after having seen the coming troubles for God’s people,” Kirsten wrote.

Sobered by her confession and insights, I read carefully the related scripture:

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”
Habakkuk 3:17-18”

“Oh my goodness!”  I thought.  Habakkuk was staring at real disaster, and I am complaining about a damaged ceiling and a leaky roof—things that can be easily repaired. He was facing the destruction of his country and exile to a foreign land yet he was rejoicing in the Sovereign Lord.   “Shame on me!”  I thought as conviction flooded my soul.

“Oh, Lord.  Forgive me for complaining about little problems!  You have blessed me abundantly!  Thank you!  Help me keep things in perspective.  This earthly roof can be repaired, and the roof in my heavenly home will never have holes in it!  Thank you!”

As I tried to exit my pity party, I remembered the words of Jesus,

^“Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. . . These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.  So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”  Luke 12:25-32

“Oh, Father.  You have spoken loud and clear.  Forgive me.  I am a believer but I’m not acting like it.  Thank you for helping me focus on what’s truly important.”

What about you?  Are you a worrier? An attitude of gratitude can do wonders in moving us from self-pity to a place of peace and joy.  When we are prone to worry, we need to remember the words of Jesus and try humming the old song by Johnson Oatman, Jr.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

• Refrain:
  Count your blessings, name them one by one,
  Count your blessings, see what God has done!
  Count your blessings, name them one by one,
  *Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24

 

p.s.  Is there a good roofer out there?