Discouragement  

 

Do not take anything for granted — not one smile or one person or one rainbow or one breath. ~Terri Guillemets

One of the things I love about my husband is he has a big heart.  His occupation requires a big heart.  He sells durable medical equipment.  Their company specializes in motorized wheel chairs, sip and puff machines and regular wheel chairs.  One of the things that I appreciate about his company is that the owner and many of the executive staff are in wheel chairs.  That is their means of mobility. 

Sometimes my husband gets discouraged because when he sells a complicated wheel chair that can provide mobility to a patient who otherwise would be bedridden, Medicare will not pay or it takes them 60 to 90 days to get paid. 

This weekend, the day before Thanksgiving to be exact, Jerry received a voice mail from a patient.  When Jerry first met this patient he lived in a local facility with his wife.  They were both in motorized wheelchairs.  The gentleman and his wife lived in a single room at the facility.  His wife had to have constant oxygen to survive. 

When the wife’s wheelchair would have issues as would often happen, she would call Jerry.  Jerry would drive out to the facility and repair her chair or bring parts from their warehouse to fix the problem.  He didn’t get paid for the trips it was just his big heart at work.  Jerry would tell me that she delivered the mail to all the residents in the facility.  He would always take the time to sit and visit with them.

He told me he wanted to get a flag for her wheelchair and some flag stickers to go on her chair so that everyone would know when the mail was coming.  Unfortunately he never got to do that.  Her husband called and left Jerry a voice mail that she had passed away in October.  He called to tell Jerry how much he had touched her life by his visits. 

When Jerry got home that evening he let me listen to the voice message.  We were both blubbering fools.  He and I sat there and cried together.  I thought of how truly blessed we are and we talked about how we tend to take things for granted such as having the ability to walk. We talked about how just when we get discouraged, how God often sends a profound message to encourage us to keep going. 

This was a rather emotional week for us.  We also had a good friend, a Dallas police officer, who died in a car accident on Saturday coming home from a Thanksgiving visit with his family.

Don’t take the important things for granted.  I plan on slowing down and taking the time to give thanks to God for his many blessings.  Breathing, seeing, hearing, loving, life, family, friends….        

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, we often get discouraged with this life on earth.  I know you are the Giver of all things but often I don’t appreciate it.  You give me blessings beyond measure.  Please help me to keep my eye on You and remember from whom the blessings come.  You are my Rock and Redeemer and I praise Your Holy Name.    
         
Scripture:  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.  Hebrews 12:1-3