My family and I had the privilege of going to Colorado Springs, Colorado, over the 4th of July week to visit my mother and my son’s family. My grandson turned one on July 5 and we were not going to miss that wonderful day. But the day we got there had me thinking very differently about the whole situation until I looked at what went on from a different perspective.
My mother had redone her landscaping since the last time I had been there and we were all walking around her yard to see how different everything looked. All of a sudden, I heard buzzing around my right ear and I swatted at whatever it was to get rid of it. Instead of flying away, the hornet decided to sting me on the edge of my ear. The only way to describe the pain is to think about what it would feel like if someone squeezed your ear with a pair of pliers as hard as they could. My ear swelled up and became red and painful for about four days.
I wasn’t very happy about it, obviously, but all of a sudden, I realized that the hornet’s nest was right next to the swing my grandson would be enjoying on Friday. You want to talk about a change in mindset; it happened right then and there. No way would I want that to happen to my precious little boy. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened.
There’s a story in the Bible that tells of a time when the people of God had to be told to look at their circumstance in a different way. The book of Nehemiah tells of when the people that had been taken as captives returned to their land, and they saw that Jerusalem was in ruins and there wasn’t even a wall standing to protect their beloved city. After the completion of the wall, Ezra the Scribe was asked to read the Book of the Law to all the people. After hearing it, the people began to mourn and wail because they realized how far from God they had been and how sinful of a people they had become.
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people, said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:9-10 New International Version)
Look around. Remember that we can’t see everything. God sees the whole path and knows what’s coming. Be blessed in knowing you are not alone on this wonderful journey we call life.
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