FEELING CONVICTED

There's a young neighbor whose life is not easy. Single mom of two kids--one severely handicapped, and now on hospice. I pray a lot, and try to make life a little bit better in small ways. Pick up a script, make a pot of soup or a favorite dessert. When her son was little, gave him a ride to school and picked him up. Let her know Jesus loves her despite what her circumstances may make it seem, and I love her too.

But today I felt annoyed and taken advantage of. Only for a moment. And then I was full of remorse for allowing Satan to push my buttons through thoughts he planted in my mind that didn't belong there. For a moment I forgot that he is the enemy--not the other person who does or says something that irritates me. I forgot that we are all playing a part in God's story, and nobody is in our life by chance.

Even a secular person like Shakespeare realized that when he penned the words: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts..."

As I prayed for forgiveness and asked the Lord to help me see her through His eyes and remember how much He loves her, my perspective changed to one of feeling priviledged to be able to act as His hands and feet, and filled with joy that whatever I do for her I am doing for Him (Matthew 25:40). May I never forget that image, and may I be as patient and longsuffering with her as God has always been with me.