Its bitter for a reason, spit it out

I have once again been put into a precarious situation. I wont get into detail, but something has happened that will affect my future. This blog is not about what happened but how I am trying to cope with it.
Jesus said, if your brother strikes your cheek, give him the other cheek as well. If he sues you for your shirt, give him your coat as well. So here I am dealing with a person who has selfishly limited my ability to move up with the company. Thank God we have been studying James on Sunday because had we not, I may be doing things a little different. I am wrestling with myself trying to not seek justice rather just go on doing my job and helping others. That is what is keeping the peace at my workplace right now. I have people who depend on me to lead them so that will need to be my focus.
The human struggle here on earth is trust. Look at your daily life and what you have to deal with. If you had a bad day, it was probably due to a trust issue. You went to the same coffee shop you have trusted for years and they messed up your latte. You asked your best friend for a favor and they turned had to turn you down. You may have taken the same road to work that you have trusted and it was backed up. Somehow, there was trust that was the problem. I have had my share of trust issues. Not being able to trust people and also not being trusted myself. I brought that upon myself. So when my trust has been broken with someone else, I must not let it dwell with me.
Life is hard enough without having to dwell on the bad things. I am now 40 years old and sitting here I can totally list (endlessly) my blessings that God has given me. I have a wife of whom I adore. My children light up my life and love me. My mom lives with us and helps us not have to pay childcare. I have a job and I feel I will have it for awhile. Just a few weeks ago, a true friend gave my family a blessing we were never expecting. These are true gifts from God. (pay attention to the segway)
GOD. God is who I should trust above all things. He has always brought the good to my life and He always will. Yet, I do have trouble trusting Him to make the right things happen in my life. I want this, but I get that. I prayed for something and got something else. I had to change that last sentence becuase it first read "I prayed for something and got nothing". That is not true, when I pray for something I want I always get something. It may not be what I want, but it ends up being what I need. God does that. He is our Father, he treats us as a caring parent would. He has the ability to give us anything we NEED. The fact is, when we get what we need, there is a blessing tied to it always.
So today and on I will try to look through my human eyes and human heart at the blessings that come from dissapointment. Look at your children. They want several things but sometimes you can only give them what they need. They may be sad, but they always meet you at the door the next day more happy to see you than the previous day. That is because you cared enough to meet their needs. Isnt that what God does? So why arent we meeting Him at the door everyday with a smile when He gets home from work? He never stops taking care of us. You could say thats His job and He is mighty good at it. James says it best;
 ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

The FURTHER decline of WC?

In this day to day, dog eat dog, check to check, double word double life-do we ever stop to think how fast we are going and why does it have to be SO fast? My personal opinion is that one source of all this entitlement to get things "NOW" are drive thru service. Yes, I said drive thru service.
Why do we go through a drive thru? Lets examine that for a moment.
1. Dont want to go inside
2. Too lazy to go inside
3. Want it FAST!
4. Want it FASTER than going inside!
5. I think you are getting the point.
What has happned to our United States of the fast and furious? The overwhelming need to get it done fast and now! I do of course go to the drive thru at most places. However, being in the type of work I am in, I would rather wait than have my purchase done so fast that quality was taken away from it. Take or instance going to the bank. I hope no one out there goes through the drive thru wanting faster service at a bank. Are you serious? Do you want that teller to go so fast that a mistake might be made and your money is totally messed up? Heaven forbid! If you were looking for fast service, you gave up your right to efficient service.
This mentality goes for everything we do in life. We are such a nation of get it done yesterday thinking we have lost the need for quality. Oh yes we WANT quality, but if I can get it faster, I will give up my quality.
Take a moment children. Walk into Starbucks. Park in the back last space of Wal Mart. Take a little time to look around you. Before you know it, you are 40+ and you wonder where it all went. What did I miss? Life only comes around once.

I feel sorrow tonight. As much as I look at life and I let life stress me out, I dont think enough for those who are trying to cling to life. A good friend of mine from high school lost her 10 year old son to cancer this morning. Evan Thomason went to be with God today. I am thinking of my five children, my five healthy children and I think of Evan. I could not fathom losing my child to cancer. Melissa is Evans mother and my friend. She has been forced to be strong while having to sit and watch her little boy suffer. Now she suffers as she has to let go of this brave warrior. I pray that our loving Father sits with her and holds her and her family tight. Goodbye Evan, I never met you but you have made a change in my life.