Thursday; January 31

          Last weekend Jeane got the flu and was pretty miserable for a couple of days.  As you might imagine, she had all the signs – fever, sore throat, aches and just a feeling of yuckiness (yes, that is a medical term).  As I watched her deal with her symptoms I noticed something odd – I stared to feel the same things.  I am not sure if I was getting the flu or if I was merely experiencing some sort of companion symptoms.  I saw what she was experiencing and all of a sudden, I started coughing, feeling achy and had a loss of energy.
          The reason I bring this up is not to report on our medical condition – we are fine – rather to ask a parallel question in our emotional and spiritual lives.  Since we live in a world that seems to struggle with things like discouragement, despair and anxiety are we mirroring those attributes in our lives?  If we believe in a God who is in control of the world, we should be immune to the daily struggles; but do we spend too time connected with people who are struggling that we take on their “symptoms”?
          Let’s be wiling to help out those who are hurting, but let’s be careful that we don’t allow their struggles to rob us of the joy and contentment we can feel.  Life is too short to be discouraged – especially when we don’t have to be.
          Think About It!

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