There’s a story of a man who carried an oil can with him wherever he went. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But, whenever he came in contact with a squeaky door, it came in handy. He used it on a gate that was hard to open and in various other places. Wouldn’t someone be glad to have a gate that opened easier or a door that stopped making that awful noise?
This brought me to the question: what do I take with me wherever I go? Is it anything helpful or is it a hindrance? Some of the things we “carry” are not even visible: sorrow, frustration, anger we’ve stuffed, loneliness and the like. We all have things we wish were different, frustrations of various stripes. Do they arrive before we do? Coloring the mood, casting a pall wherever we go?
I wonder if the man with the oil can had things that troubled him, frustrated him, made him sad. Still, he went forward, doing what he could when the opportunity presented itself.
What are you and I dragging around with us? God doesn’t call us to do what we can’t do, only what we can. Are we willing? There’s a commercial which asks, “What’s in your wallet?” Never mind that. What’s in your backpack? Anything useful?
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.” (Philippians 2:3)
So Good! Another great reminder! Thank you Teri!🥰🙌🤗
Food for thought and self examination. Thx again Teri!
❤️❤️
Help or hindrance = choice, every moment of every day
Each day begins with filling my backpack with the Word of God. I can only believe that the right attitude will show itself at the right time.
FORWARD March! Great post Teri❤️
As an adolescent, when I succumbed to the common “attitude” of early teens my mother reminded me every day that at our house no one “had the privilege” of a “bad mood.” Moodiness was not tolerated at all. She enforced a truth that each of us makes a choice when we wake up in the morning of what our attitude will be. For me – contentment, joy and love! I pray these precede my arrival on any scene! Thank you for the point you’ve made!
Pull out one of those smiles; they say a lot!