Monday; February 2
Punxsutawney Phil may not
be the most popular guy these days. I am
sure the meteorologists would be happy to share some of the blame for the
recent cold, so this little guy might be a welcome scapegoat! I haven’t seen his verdict about the future
of the cold weather, but he is inheriting an audience of grumpy folks.
Over the last few days, a
lot of us have been complaining about the cold.
Now, there are some who have good reason to fuss – for them, it could be
a true hardship and might even been life-threatening – however, I know of lot
of us have just been whining about being chilly. (Me included!) For most of us, the cold weather is just an
inconvenience that annoys us. As I
thought about this I was reminded of the difference between hassles and
hardships. No one ever promised us that
life would be easy – and honestly, there is value in dealing with
challenges. While I wouldn’t wish
legitimate sufferings on anyone, I think most us can learn a thing or two about
dealing with the problems of life. Who
knows, facing troubles might even make us better people. The New Testament writer, James, reminds us
that good things can come from bad times by noting, “Consider it all joy, my
brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And
let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may
be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4). Again, we don’t want bad things to happen to
anyone, but maybe small doses of inconveniences might actually be helpful.
Think About It!