I resisted getting on Facebook until a series of events “lured” me to it, but now I see it as a blessing more than a time evaporator.  I have loved being able to reconnect with so many people, including some I went to High School with.  One feature that I’ve enjoyed is the ability to chat with others that are on Facebook since I’ve had to be at home more, and lately spending more time in bed with my feet propped up.  I don’t have the sense of isolation that I had when I was in bed for a month from morning sickness that lasted all day when I was pregnant with Nate.

One lady that I regularly chat with is a friend from Bill and I’s single days at Prestonwood Baptist, our church home when we lived in Dallas.  Her name is Lisa and she lives in Singapore, working as an Educational Consultant.  She recently returned from a trip to Thailand and needed to stay in a hostel because her apartment was being repainted.  With her permission, I’m going to share you a story that you just can’t believe it’s real, but it really did happen.  This is the stuff that scriptwriters dream of.

Lisa had made a trip to her apartment to retrieve a few items and this is what she told me,

                “I need someone to go and clean my apartment! Those workers are TRASHING IT!!! I know it is a cultural thing but it was frustrating to go in and find my drawers dumped out on the kitchen counters, no paint covers on my antiques, their paint can lids laying all over the place with no newspaper underneath, etc...

And the contractor was wearing my flip flops!!!!!

And said that he used my meah (poof) bath sponge!!!!!

They shower before going home!!!!”

I sat here with my jaw dropped and gasped and Bill came in the room wondering what was going on.  I just could not believe it.  Then after the shock wore off, I found myself laughing so hard I had tears coming out of our eyes and my cheeks were getting sore.  I know what I write about these past few months is hard to read for some.  That’s why I try to have some humor in my blogs because I know that in Proverbs it says a joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. 

I asked her then if I could share this story on my next blog entry not because I wanted people to get a laugh at her experience, but because of what she said afterwards that stuck with me and really can be applied to all our lives.     

            “My life is one big comedy show or cry-fest.  I have to make a choice almost minute by minute on which way I will respond as I give it back to Him”

Lisa had asked me what it was she had said, so I wrote the above back to her, word for word as she typed it.  “I said that?” she quipped.  I joked with her that she didn’t realize how profound she was being. J  I know the obvious application in my life is our situation with Faith, but could also apply with our daughter Hope.  There are so many days that I have to chose how I’m going to respond when she has those days where you are convinced she is just trying to be difficult on purpose.  I can chose to see only the problems that she has or I can chose to see her as the Lord sees her, His precious one-of-a-kind gem that He created and that He has a specific reason for her uniqueness. 

Even in our daily grind activities, such as doing the dishes and laundry, we can chose to look at them as onuses and drudgery, or we can look for the blessings they present.  When doing the dishes, we can be thankful that we have a kitchen that we can prepare meals in and have running water be able to clean those dishes and cabinets to put them up in.  When doing the laundry, we can be thankful that the Lord provides for our physical needs by clothing us and having the ability to care for those clothes.  I check every item for stains before putting them in the wash and look at the country where that shirt or pair of pants were made.  Most of these countries are closed or hostile to the Gospel and I’m reminded of the freedoms we have here in this country to worship freely and pray for our Brothers and Sisters in Christ who endure much hardship for His name.

So this conversation was more than just a comic relief balm for me, it reminded me to be vigilant in not letting my circumstances that surround me distract me from keeping my eyes on Jesus.  When Peter came out of the boat and walked on water, he was able to do so because his focus was solely on Christ.  The minute he took his eyes of Jesus, he began to sink.

Let us all keep our eyes on the Son this week.