This morning the ringing phone got me out of bed.
It was my friend with whom I walk for an hour every morning from 7:30- 8:30.
We had the following conversation…..
friend - “If you look outside it is raining pretty hard…do you still want to walk?”
me - peering through the blinds onto my kitchen patio, “It’s not raining.”
friend - “Yes, it is!”
me - looking harder through the misty half-light and not seeing any raindrops bouncing off the wet decking boards.. .”No, it’s not raining here. Where are you ?”
friend - retorts, “Just a street up from you!”
me - half in jest… “Well, it’s not raining in the back of my house . Let me go see if it is raining in the front of my house.”
I walk through the house to the living room window and look outside to see raindrops splashing on the car’s windshield …”Hmmmmmm, well, yes… I guess it is raining a little here in the front of my house!”
We laugh and decide to walk in the rain anyway!!
Hanging up the phone, I thought of the disciples when they were asked by Jesus, “Did you catch any fish?”
And when they replied “NO!” He said , “Well, cast your nets on the other side of your boat!”
I’m sure their first reaction was the same as my friend’s, “That’s silly, why would it be different on one side from the other side?” - and then...... they pulled up their nets full of fish!
But then I thought about it some more and I thought, “What a good lesson there is here!”
How often we get up in the morning and the day’s duties and burdens weigh heavy on our shoulders and we look out on our life and see it is raining!! We galumph to the washroom to do our morning ritual , wishing we didn’t have to do the day at all. ( galumph – to move clumsily with a heavy tread)
But…. if we go to the other side of our ‘house’ and look out from there we will see that there are more blessings than we can count.
Isn’t there always more to be thankful for than to complain about - if we just make the effort to take an honest look?
If you feel annoyed with your husband and feel a cutting remark rising up dangerously close to your vocal cords… walk to the other side of the house and remember the last time he made you smile.
If your children are driving you up the wall, walk to the other side of your house and remember how sweet they look when they are asleep.
If your grocery store is out of stock of a particular item you wanted, look on the other side and you will see that you need not go to bed hungry!
If you walk into the bank to do a quick transaction and a long line-up greets you at the door… walk to the other side and be thankful you can walk and that you have a bank to walk into and that you didn’t have an accident on the way !!
We had the following conversation…..
friend - “If you look outside it is raining pretty hard…do you still want to walk?”
me - peering through the blinds onto my kitchen patio, “It’s not raining.”
friend - “Yes, it is!”
me - looking harder through the misty half-light and not seeing any raindrops bouncing off the wet decking boards.. .”No, it’s not raining here. Where are you ?”
friend - retorts, “Just a street up from you!”
me - half in jest… “Well, it’s not raining in the back of my house . Let me go see if it is raining in the front of my house.”
I walk through the house to the living room window and look outside to see raindrops splashing on the car’s windshield …”Hmmmmmm, well, yes… I guess it is raining a little here in the front of my house!”
We laugh and decide to walk in the rain anyway!!
Hanging up the phone, I thought of the disciples when they were asked by Jesus, “Did you catch any fish?”
And when they replied “NO!” He said , “Well, cast your nets on the other side of your boat!”
I’m sure their first reaction was the same as my friend’s, “That’s silly, why would it be different on one side from the other side?” - and then...... they pulled up their nets full of fish!
But then I thought about it some more and I thought, “What a good lesson there is here!”
How often we get up in the morning and the day’s duties and burdens weigh heavy on our shoulders and we look out on our life and see it is raining!! We galumph to the washroom to do our morning ritual , wishing we didn’t have to do the day at all. ( galumph – to move clumsily with a heavy tread)
But…. if we go to the other side of our ‘house’ and look out from there we will see that there are more blessings than we can count.
Isn’t there always more to be thankful for than to complain about - if we just make the effort to take an honest look?
If you feel annoyed with your husband and feel a cutting remark rising up dangerously close to your vocal cords… walk to the other side of the house and remember the last time he made you smile.
If your children are driving you up the wall, walk to the other side of your house and remember how sweet they look when they are asleep.
If your grocery store is out of stock of a particular item you wanted, look on the other side and you will see that you need not go to bed hungry!
If you walk into the bank to do a quick transaction and a long line-up greets you at the door… walk to the other side and be thankful you can walk and that you have a bank to walk into and that you didn’t have an accident on the way !!
I’m being a little light-hearted today but I’m sure you get my point!!
We can choose which side of our ‘house’ we look out from. And if we look out from the side where it isn’t ‘raining’ how much brighter our day looks! And if we keep that perspective, we will reflect the sunny-side of our ‘house’ into the windows of the people we interact with throughout our day!!
"This IS the day the Lord has made… Let us rejoice and be GLAD in it !" (Ps. 118:24)
"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (I Thess. 5:18)
We can choose which side of our ‘house’ we look out from. And if we look out from the side where it isn’t ‘raining’ how much brighter our day looks! And if we keep that perspective, we will reflect the sunny-side of our ‘house’ into the windows of the people we interact with throughout our day!!
"This IS the day the Lord has made… Let us rejoice and be GLAD in it !" (Ps. 118:24)
"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (I Thess. 5:18)
4 comments:
Amen!
These last few days I've been reminded that it's important to walk over to the other side of the house and count my blessings. I've seen my sister do it despite the trials she's going through and as I record daily my reasons to be thankful, I am able to see so clearly just how much God has blessed me.
Thanks for this post.
And lucky you, NO PINCH! Those lovely shamrocks saved your site!
Just to be safe put on some green and have a lovely misty Irish type day!
(And interesting that Patrick was taken captive too...I'm thinking about that today.)
What a delight you are. I appreciate your light heartedness. I am one of the few readers that can hear your voice as you read and that adds an extra element of melody in my reading. I am often amazed at the difference between the sky from one side of the house to the other. If I don't like the first side, I'll go check the other.
It never ceases to amaze me how you see God in everything. You are truly brillliant and gifted.
OH THIS WAS EXCELLENT JULIE!!! I LOVED THIS POST!!!
I feel as though it was directed to me...THANK-YOU SO MUCH for this, of which was totally a thought provoking lesson at that!
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