Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” John 5:8
It was a week before Thanksgiving when an ice storm took down trees and power lines all around us. What a beautiful mess it created! The electricity went out in the middle of the night, so it was a bit chilly crawling out of bed. I let the boys use the power as an excuse not to have school and used the time to get a whole lot accomplished around the house. Keeping moving kept me warm! I must tell you, I LOVED the silence. No humming from appliances, no radios or televisions, no noise but the wind could be heard!
Once the temperature started dropping, my dad put his Superman cape on and came rushing to save the day with his generator. The only problem was that he didn’t have electricity either. He made his house go dark in order to heat up ours. He got that heavy thing into the back of his truck and drove the thirty minutes to our house to hooked it up for us. The electric company was estimating it being back on that night, so after it was warm inside again, we thought we were all good.
The fridge and freezer were cold again, and we wouldn’t open them. Dad went back to his house and we got ready to go for an early Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt’s that night. My oldest was planning on having friends over later, and I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but they thought it would just be another adventure. They were warned, plus the electricity was supposed to be coming back on that night anyhow.
My aunt kept her power and the roads were clear (besides some branches left), so we enjoyed a wonderful evening out. We didn’t give the cold and dark much thought while there. We picked up some brave kids after dinner and headed to the grocery store. We realized shortly after that we weren’t getting power anytime soon. It was going to be at least a couple more days. Meanwhile, if we traveled a half hour from home, life was moving as normal.
Superman came back and insisted we keep the generator because of the gathering happening at our house. He didn’t want them to get cold. Heat was never an issue for my parents due to a wood burner that keeps them toasty warm. As he did the whole process of bringing over the generator late at night and planning to come back again in the morning, it was time to call it. Land lines were down, and we weren’t getting much cell service. Plus, we didn’t want my dad running back and forth between our houses worrying about us when we could get a hotel room. If we kept the fridge and freezer closed, everything would be fine.
It amazes me how much a change in scenery can change perspective. We could’ve wallowed in self-pity while sitting in the dark freezing or we could’ve gotten out of the house and gone to somewhere that was opened or visited a relative. I understand that isn’t always possible for everyone, but what about the people it is possible that choose to be miserable? Does that happen? It sure does! “It’s so bad. I’m stuck in the cold and dark.” No, you aren’t! You have a car and the roads are clear!
What about you? Is there a situation you don’t like but are choosing to stay in? What’s keeping you there? Are you complaining just to complain? Even us…what were we going to eat each day if we couldn’t open the fridge or freezer? We could’ve gone to the grocery store, got some meat, and fired up the grill! Yum! Would we have, or would we have complained?
We had fun during our impromptu outing! The food was good, the time together was nice, and I even did some shopping. Why be miserable when we can be creative?
I challenge you to change your position to change your perspective! You won’t get a medal for staying miserable, and I guarantee you that people won’t feel near as sorry for you as you think they will. When God gives you a better way, snatch it up and move forward. You might be uncomfortable leaving what you know, but you’ll sure be glad you did after you get in that better position. Pick up your mat and walk!
