ARGH! I fumed at the stop light. Another green!
Yeah, I know. Weird, right? Who gets upset about green lights? For as long as I can remember, I’ve grumbled at the city engineers who, unbelievably, manage to design the stop lights so that EVERY SINGLE ONE is red. They’re not all like that. My grandmother lived in Altadena California, and they timed the lights so that if you drove the speed limit they were always green and you never had to stop. Where I live, I’m sure giant AI computers detect if I’m running late, and quickly change the light to red just as I get to the intersection.
Then one day, I decided to pray for people while driving. When I got to the perpetually red lights, I’d send a text message. Why text? I can’t tell you how many people have said things like, “I’m in the hospital waiting room right now. How did you know to pray for me?” The truth is I didn’t, but God did, and I thought they should know.
So today I’m happy about the red lights (and a little annoyed at the greens).
Is that all it takes to change the frustrating things in my life into happy ones?
What about the other frustrating things in life – endless to-do projects, sleep, health, money, mistakes, etc. etc.? We all have them. I have a feeling I know the cure: filling each moment with prayer and service.
That’s why we don’t lose heart. These momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes, not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. ~Paul
Our minds are the key to how things go in our lives. When someone’s life is in trouble it’s usually because of where their minds are. ~Dallas Willard