Sometimes, learning to be thankful for the simple blessings God has given us can be a real challenge. Then again, sometimes God can make it much much easier for us to learn it in a real hurry... but I wouldn't recommend waiting around for that to happen.
At the time of my writing this post, I am still struggling to fully comprehend what I just learned as I sit here counting my lucky stars and listening to my wife complain about the pungent odor of gasoline on my clothes, which is permeating a whole corner of our house. I guess I should get changed but I have to finish writing this while it's all still fresh in my mind.
I'll just start at the beginning...
A couple months ago I was stuck in a dead end job and my married life was on the rocks. My wife was not enjoying life being stuck at home since she couldn't yet drive, and she really needed me to be near her. So, after some thought and prayer I took a bold move and left my job and headed straight for college. I helped my wife get some wheels and we both started to attend classes while fervently hoping that all would turn out for the best. And it did, for a while. But, of course, we ran into a few bumps in the road and a couple of months later we're both stressed out from all the studying and we're too poor to enjoy the finer points of life.
Push came to shove and I began to break down a bit. Life seemed to be too harsh to be fair and since I embarked on this quest with the aid of some answered prayer I somehow figured in my infinite wisdom that it would be a good idea to start pointing the finger at God himself.
I definately said some things that I shouldn't have on multiple occasions. God even replied to me! I couldn't recall the exact verses and what not but the messages were something like: "I'm warning you", "humble yourself before me and ask for mercy" and finally: "judegement cometh". And what did I do?? I got even more angry and even accused Him of making me the way I am!!! 
I was dealt with in a prompt manner. After school not more than a day later I made a wrong turn and got lost in the big city. I ran out of gas (after filling it up the day before) at the worst intersection in the worst, most crime ridden part of town. No cell phone. No idea where I was. No gas station in sight.
Fortunately, God provides. There was a young street kid next to my truck when it stopped dead who asked if I needed some help. He and a buddy of his helped me push it across the street where it would hopefully be safe and he immediately began to frisk me to make sure that I wasn't a cop. After I got over the brief embarrassment he agreed to watch after me and help me get to a gas station. It turns out that he even had a gas can!
During our walk through the broken down streets he took me through some of the worst neighborhood conditions I've ever seen in my life and when we reached the projects I had a hard long look at what it really means to need the help that I was so adamantly demanding from God not more than a day before. It was then that I knew that God had allowed this for a reason.
So, what have I learned from all of this? God provides and is a shelter in times of need, definately. Is he willing to cause those traumas in our lives when we deserve it? It would appear so. Is he able to turn it around so that good can come out of it? You bet! Oh, and He is also very merciful because I definately deserved much much more than what I got today.
At the time of my writing this post, I am still struggling to fully comprehend what I just learned as I sit here counting my lucky stars and listening to my wife complain about the pungent odor of gasoline on my clothes, which is permeating a whole corner of our house. I guess I should get changed but I have to finish writing this while it's all still fresh in my mind.
I'll just start at the beginning...
A couple months ago I was stuck in a dead end job and my married life was on the rocks. My wife was not enjoying life being stuck at home since she couldn't yet drive, and she really needed me to be near her. So, after some thought and prayer I took a bold move and left my job and headed straight for college. I helped my wife get some wheels and we both started to attend classes while fervently hoping that all would turn out for the best. And it did, for a while. But, of course, we ran into a few bumps in the road and a couple of months later we're both stressed out from all the studying and we're too poor to enjoy the finer points of life.
Push came to shove and I began to break down a bit. Life seemed to be too harsh to be fair and since I embarked on this quest with the aid of some answered prayer I somehow figured in my infinite wisdom that it would be a good idea to start pointing the finger at God himself.
I definately said some things that I shouldn't have on multiple occasions. God even replied to me! I couldn't recall the exact verses and what not but the messages were something like: "I'm warning you", "humble yourself before me and ask for mercy" and finally: "judegement cometh". And what did I do?? I got even more angry and even accused Him of making me the way I am!!! I was dealt with in a prompt manner. After school not more than a day later I made a wrong turn and got lost in the big city. I ran out of gas (after filling it up the day before) at the worst intersection in the worst, most crime ridden part of town. No cell phone. No idea where I was. No gas station in sight.
Fortunately, God provides. There was a young street kid next to my truck when it stopped dead who asked if I needed some help. He and a buddy of his helped me push it across the street where it would hopefully be safe and he immediately began to frisk me to make sure that I wasn't a cop. After I got over the brief embarrassment he agreed to watch after me and help me get to a gas station. It turns out that he even had a gas can!
During our walk through the broken down streets he took me through some of the worst neighborhood conditions I've ever seen in my life and when we reached the projects I had a hard long look at what it really means to need the help that I was so adamantly demanding from God not more than a day before. It was then that I knew that God had allowed this for a reason.
So, what have I learned from all of this? God provides and is a shelter in times of need, definately. Is he willing to cause those traumas in our lives when we deserve it? It would appear so. Is he able to turn it around so that good can come out of it? You bet! Oh, and He is also very merciful because I definately deserved much much more than what I got today.
