Thinking of Others

Sometimes, you don't really think of others.

I know I don't.

Now, I like to think I do. And I really think I do. Most of the time I really do.

But this time...I didn't.

You know, that time in your life, when your world is very small and extremely self inclusive?? Well, that's where I've been lately. Or at least that's where I was a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

It's one of those 'It all started it when...." kind of stories. The car has been giving us trouble...the stove isn't working. The radiator heaters keep tripping the breakers. I promise, every light bulb in this place blew out in one day. (OK...not every one...but it seemed like every one!) If it can go wrong-it HAS gone wrong.

Please don't get me wrong. We currently live at our Church in a converted apartment. We had lived here before in the basement, but it was sooo dreary we couldn't stand the thought of living downstairs again. I am most grateful for the living arrangements, and the last thing I want to come across as is unthankful for what the Lord and the Church have provided.

However, it seems that Murphy's Law has arrested us and has had us in custody for quite some time. So, when Thanksgiving week rolled around and the baking element in my oven wasn't working, I really thought I would come unhinged. After all, how could I have a turkey if I couldn't bake it? And what about the dressing and the sweet potato casserole?

I located an appliance parts store in Athens that carried the element I needed, but in my usual fashion, I shopped around for a better price. A local competitor in Winder was going to have the part for me the next day, but I told him I needed it that day (Tuesday) and that I would be going to Athens to buy it at another store. The sales clerk said "OK" in a very snide tone and hung up.

Oh...if I had only known what that meant.

I drove all the way to Athens (I was pushed for time) and when I got there, the competitor in Winder had called the store in Athens and cleaned him out of all the parts that I needed.

I almost cried.

"No Thanksgiving dinner..." I thought to myself.

I thought the owner was joking when he said he was sold out of the heating elements I needed. After all, he had three of them just an hour earlier. When I told him about my attempt to deal with the Winder store, he knew right away they had done it out of spite. Apparently, as soon as I told the Winder associate that I was going to purchase my heating element from Athens, they hung up and called the Athens store, purchased all three that he had in stock, and then sent someone by to pick them up.

The Athens store owner was kind enough to help me locate the part in Commerce. As I waited for him to located it, I noticed the rain falling outside; it was getting dark fast. He found my part and sent me on my way. Or so I thought.

I went outside to crank my '88 Blazer and the battery was dead. Again, I fought back tears. At this point, I'm wondering what I've done wrong. I knew I had to hold it together in order to get someone to jump off my battery. After about 15-25 minutes I was back on the road to get my baking element.

When I arrived at the hardware store in Commerce, I was delighted to find that the heating element was less expensive than I had anticipated. It was strangely shaped though.

"Hmmmm.... I wonder if this is the right element? Well, the appliance man in Athens called and gave them the part number and they said it was the right one."

After I got my receipt, I expressed my concern, and the clerk said I could not bring back an electrical part if it was not the right one. Oh well...the only way to know is to take it home and try. I didn't have the old one with me to compare it to.

You know those sinking feelings?? Well, I had one the whole way home. That discounted element not only ended up being the wrong one, but it also ended up shorting out the thermostat. Now the problem with the stove was no longer a $50 problem; it was a $170 problem.

I cried. I cried hard.

No Thanksgiving dinner. On top of that, my food budget was cut short by the purchase of a battery for my vehicle. Talk about adding insult to injury. I couldn't figure out what was going on in my life, why things were so difficult.

It didn't take long for me to realize how petty I was being, especially when God reminded me of how much I could cook without an oven. I have cooked many turkeys and hams in a crockpot, and I did still have full use of the stove top. I would have to sacrifice the casseroles, dressing, and homemade pumpkin pie, but I didn't have to sacrifice Thanksgiving Day!

I was beginning to feel better about Thanksgiving Day. Wednesday night came and I was "encouraged" because MY FAMILY was going to have Thanksgiving. We have had an exceptionally trying year, and Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. It's a very intimate time for our family. We spend it with just our immediate family, so it's very important to us. And we like it to be everything we envision it to be.

During the prayer requests, I remembered to ask for special prayer for dear friends of ours. They are evangelists who travel around the country. They live in a travel trailer pulled by a Ford F-350. They live in this 365 days a year. They own no other house. When I talked to my dear sister in Christ, she asked me to please pray for them about their trailer. It's having some MAJOR problems that need repair. She reminded me that this was her home and that she felt like it was falling apart. She told me that something would have to be done about it soon.

I relayed all this in my prayer request. As we all knelt to pray, I bowed down on my knees....this family was heavy on my heart. As I started to pray for them, I thought of how "discouraged" I had been the past couple of days.

I thought of how petty I had been about an oven, yet the needs of others were so much greater than mine. If she could have seen how ridiculously depressed I had been over an oven and a battery....yet her house is in desperate need of repair. That travel trailer is all her family has and it needs major attention. If her house isn't suitable for travel, they can't evangelize. It's so much more serious than a broken oven.

I felt somewhat ashamed, but I also felt grateful for what I have. I wasn't even thinking of Tamatha and her family. Come to think of it, I wasn't thinking of Ruby and the fact that she needed her roof repaired. Her husband died 6 weeks ago before he could get their house reroofed.

I didn't even think of Annette. Her roof is in the same shape as Ruby's, except there's actually some water damage at her house.

I wasn't thinking of anyone, except me. That's so easy to do. But while saying a prayer for someone else and their needs, God helped me see just how small my needs really were.

Fortunately, Thanksgiving isn't just a season. It's an attitude of the heart. I don't have to wait until next November to adjust the attitude of my heart. That's something I should do every day, perhaps even minute by minute if required.

And the more I have my heart in a spirit of Thanksgiving, you can be sure I'm not thinking of myself. I'm thinking of others.