Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Finding Temporary Joys

Been a while since I posted on my blog.  Had an ill family member so I've had to readjust my schedule during the past week.  Also, I've had to work some overtime to fill in at work while we are waiting to fill an empty position in my department.  Bottom line:  I've been extremely busy, so busy that I have not been able to go running for several weeks (one of my greatest joys).

Yet, in my busy-ness, I've come to discover temporary pleasures.

Remember the story of Jonah?  Most people remember him being swallowed by the big fish and surviving.  As his story progresses, after he preached to the people of Nineveh, the people repented and turned to God.  Was Jonah happy about this?  Not at all.  He fussed and fumed, saying that he knew this is what would happen all along, that God is one who "relents concerning calamity" (Jonah 4:2).  Furthermore,  Jonah became depressed, wishing that his life would end.  To cheer him up, God made a plant grow behind him to shade him from the heat. 

Jonah 4:6 says, " So the Lord God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant."

It was just a plant, but Jonah was thrilled about it, especially in the days before air conditioning or electric fans to squelch the heat.   Just a simple plant but Jonah was ecstatic about its presence.

I know sometimes when I work, the job is so busy I don't have time to sit down for a leisurely lunch.  The other day, I was so busy I didn't have time to go get lunch from the cafeteria so I ate two rice cakes (which I had brought from home) and a PayDay candy bar.  Later in the day I had a Pepsi.  Not exactly a balanced meal.

Yet, in my stressful workload, I was extremely grateful for what I could eat to keep me going during the day.  It was like Jonah's plant, providing temporary relief from my discomfort. Nevertheless, a simple Candy Bar, a Pepsi, and some rice cakes meant the world to me in my distress.