..

Last week my club, the Pilot Club of North Dallas, volunteered at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. My club is a community service organization that focuses on brain related disorders and promotes protecting your brain. The North Dallas chapter was started in March 2006 and I was one of the founding members of our chapter. Our even at Scottish Rite had been a while in the making, as we had wanted to volunteer at a children’s hospital for a while. When we arrived on Wednesday we found out that the Dallas Morning Newspaper would be sending a photographer out to take pictures for a story that was being done on our club…and we were all pretty excited because we need the exposure since we are trying to build our (pathetic) membership.

All went well; it was amazing to teach the children about brain safety and to talk to them afterwards. In the end, we ended up being in the paper and so on Saturday morning I went to the store to go buy a couple of copies that I could send to family.

After I had checked out, I was walking to my car and as I got in and swung the door closed, I simultaneously reached back to grab my seat belt. Except I grasped the door jam instead and the door closed on my hand. I think I was in shock because I just stared back at my hand thinking, “hmmmm…the door is closed and my hand is in the door jam. Hmmmm…this is not good.” So I reached across with my other hand and released the door and quickly pulled my hand out.

PAUSE here. Normally this would be the part in the story where explicative and fists of fury (or at least one fist in this case) pounded the steering wheel in anger entered the picture. But, you see, I am trying to figure out why I get so angry over such trivial things. Because really, in the perspective of all that is in the world, me getting some fingers pinched in a door is hardly worth expending my energy over. Really.

So at this moment, realizing I had the choice to make about whether or not I would let my anger win; I put my head on the steering wheel, and took a deeeeeeeeeep breath in and out. Then I looked up and thought, “ok, what I need to know is can I bend my fingers. If I can, I’m in good shape, if not, then I need to go get some help.” I looked down and my fingers slowly bent and got straight again. Good. No broken bones. So I grabbed the steering wheel and turned out of the parking space and headed home.

I’m relieved that I passed that “test” because it lets me know that God is really working on my heart and giving me strength when I need it most. It is so easy to cave in to your flesh when you are alone and I think that is when we must cling to God the most, when we are alone, because really, we are never alone; he is always with us…

Isaiah 41:9-10

9 I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.

10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Sunday, August 5th, 2007, 9:17 pm   |   life experiences  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback