perspective

I was having a conversation with my husband earlier today and he got something stuck into my mind that had been rolling around up there for a while.  He had been reading a post on Facebook - one where someone was kind of looking for sympathy (I'm not going to fault them too much; I'm sure I've done it myself). We both had a difficult time with the post because we have our own list of struggles here which, in comparison, we'd gladly trade! 

But then we continued chatting and he reminded me of our dear friends who live life in a way that you can not possibly imagine, in order to protect their son's health and give him the best life possible. They sacrifice so much, worry everyday, and often live continuously in a state of survival mode. And our troubles paled in comparison.  

We've had this happen often: we hit a rocky part of the road and start to feel sorry for ourselves.  God doesn't hesitate to show us someone who has it much more difficult than we do.  It's His way of giving us perspective.

I'll admit, sometimes it is tough to look around at other peoples' struggles when our own is so big and overwhelming. You don't want to care about anybody else.  You've got your own problems to handle.  But for me, it's always back there, peeking out saying: don't forget, it could be a lot worse!  Perspective.

Maybe that's what it's supposed to be, though (and I'm just thinking out loud here, which means the thought popped into my head just now and I'm writing it down with the hopes that it's valid), maybe in the midst of our struggles we are supposed to look outward and see what we can do to help lift those who are lower than we are.  

Afterall, while Jesus was at his worst, suffering on a cross, He reached out to a man destined for hell and granted him salvation.  

Hmmmmm....

And that is today's (or tomorrow's, depending on when you read this post) food for thought.

KC