If you’ve ever seen one of those movies where someone was staying in an apartment next to, or underneath, a subway and every time the train came by the room it violently shook and the noise was deafening, then you have a picture of my night last night. My wife has pneumonia, bronchitis, a sinus infection, and an ear infection and she feels terrible. Sleeping in the same room and listening to her congested snoring is no picnic.
We have a famous guest at Honey Lake who is a former football star. Now that he’s retired from the NFL he spends his days fishing and hunting. Oh yeah and playing golf, we must not forget playing golf; (I wouldn’t want to limit him and make his life seem two dimensional or anything). His job now is to entertain clients for his company. Not surprisingly I have not seen him one time without a huge smile on his face.
Me, I’m in a foul mood and a scowl permanently creases my face. Taking care of my poor wife has taken its toll on me. This past weekend we cut our mini-vacation short and I had to cancel my fishing trip in the Florida Keys. I had to drive nine hours to get her home and my back was so stiff I could barely get out of the car when I arrived. I have to forage for my own food, assist with housekeeping chores, and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a week, preferring our uncomfortable couch to further exposure to her ailment.
This morning I awoke to a sore throat and a splitting headache. I’m scheduled to ride my faithful horse Dusty all morning with my back already aching before I even mount up, and I am relegated to watching our guests shoot quail and be a good host. I have no doubt that they will be all smiles and although it pains me to do so, I must smile with them and at least pretend that I’m having a blast, and then I must come home at lunch time and tend to my wife and maybe help fix her some lunch.
I don’t feel like smiling, I don’t feel like riding Dusty, and I don’t feel like fixing anyone some lunch.
How about you? Do you feel like smiling today? Do you feel like doing something for others even though you don’t feel good yourself? Looking at this famous quarterback last night as we ate dinner I could see that his smile was genuine and he does indeed enjoy life. He is a wonderful Christian and God has blessed him with a good wife and life. He has much for which to be thankful and he is a great witness for Christ and often speaks at Christian functions.
Hmmm… I think I’ll take up his banner. My wife and life are wonderful and I am wonderfully blessed and have much to smile about too. I just need to remember old Job and not focus on my “complaint”.
Job (:27
If I say,”I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile”