It's a Wonderful Life

We just watched that movie. Nich had seen bits and pieces of it before, but not in its entirety, and I had never seen it before at all. I love old movies.

And it got me to thinking...

Sometimes, living a life of sacrifice is really hard. Our ministry with the teens and young adults is overwhelming at times and sometimes, downright discouraging. We understand that adolescence is a period of life when you're very egotistic and thinking about other people's feelings isn't always on the radar. But we've been burned more than once, and it's hard sometimes to get back on our feet and keep loving and giving.

I've had a hard day today (emotionally) with feeling like I want to throw in the towel on how I know God has called me to serve with these young people. I think about how much more I could be giving in other places if so much of my time wasn't spent investing in their lives. Generally, I was feeling pretty darn crummy.

But then we cuddled up to watch the movie, and God showed me a little nugget to hold on to. Our washer has been glitchy since we moved in here, and every time we've done laundry, the clothes are still soaking wet when we pull them out. We've had to run them in the dryer for 2-3 cycles and then hang them for them to dry thoroughly. I was concerned about the repair bill and what the utility bills would be like if we had to keep running the dryer the way we were. Well, when I went downstairs to start the laundry this afternoon, just as I was loading the first load, all the lights in the house went out. I don't know if this had anything to do with it, but every one of my loads today have come out perfectly wrung out!

I am thankful for this small miracle today and for the reminder that I am taken care of in ways I cannot even imagine.