“Unless my husband and I smell smoke or hear glass break, we usually
don’t pay much attention to our kid’s bickering. Recently, though, we noticed
our daughter Kristin reacting peculiarly toward her older brother, Jordan, who
was taunting her with normal sibling stuff such as, ‘I got the last Pop Tart’
or ‘the dog loves me more than you.’
While he teased, we watched Kristin raise her thumb and forefinger about
an inch apart, frame Jordon’s head between them, squint one eye, then calmly
and with vengeful pleasure compress her fingers like she was snuffing out a
flame. She then turned smugly and left him standing there with a half-finished
wisecrack. Big brothers live for this tuff, but we all cracked up this time.
Noting how effective the technique was for Kristin, the rest of us
started ‘pinching’ our daily irritants. I suppose it feels so good because it
keeps annoyances in perspective. Once you miniaturize a problem, it becomes
laughable and loses its power to frustrate.
Of
course, ‘the pinch’ doesn’t work on every problem. I remember one Christmas
season when we experienced a death in the family and other personal trials
crashed in on us like unwelcome guests. I couldn’t run, hide, or snuff out my
pain; I had to live right through it.
Lying awake one sad, lonely night, I remembered Philippians 4:6-8: ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about
everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you
will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His
peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus….fix your
thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely and
admirable. think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.’
I
felt my faith strengthen: I couldn’t escape suffering, but I could still have
peace. Even though it seems to be a contradiction, pain and peace are not
mutually exclusive, if you have the right perspective.
Perspective. It’s about not worrying but
being honest with God about what you need. It’s about focusing on what you’re
thankful for. It’s about fixing your thoughts on high things. It’s about being
aware of what you’ve learned and about applying what you know is right. It’s
about opening yourself up to God’s peace.
I
am resolved not to sweat the small things in life – I’ll just ‘pinch’ them! and
even through more serious trials, I’ll remember that the summer of life
inevitably slips into winter, when the grand picnic will be remembered either
as the battle against the flies or the feast of sweet strawberries, depending
on your perspective.” by Linda Crow
Taken from Life Savors, Savory Stories to Inspire Your Soul By James
Stuart Bell and Jeanette Gardner Littleton
jowildflowers@gmail.com jean-oathout.blogspot.com
Tomorrow’s post: A CHILD’S PLEA. WHAT PRAYER CAN DO Guideposts
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