Irony

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence"
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I was cooking in my kitchen last night (shocker, I know) Oh! It was pumpkin/parmesan pasta with rosemary. Really, really scrumptious. But I was cooking in my kitchen last night and all the lights were on. I know that sounds pretty normal for most of you, but I was without an overhead light in my kitchen for three months because the bulb went out and I could not find the correct bulb to replace the old one. Anyways, during those three months I got used to using the dim, yellow stove light. Horrible when you are trying to determine the color of chicken, or something that you are supposed to
"cook till golden brown"... I complained about not having a light for most of those three months (my poor roommates) and got even more frustrated when the stove light went out and I was reduced to using a Pixar looking desk lamp to illuminate the kitchen- talk about ghetto.

Well, about a month ago our landlord came by and fixed all the lights in the house (I was SO excited). I would turn the light on and just stand in the doorway for a little bit just enjoying the pure white light coming from the ceiling. It is a wonderful thing to be able to cook after dark and know what color the food is you are cooking. That is all I have to say about that.

However, last night when I was in the kitchen, I had a bit of a headache and my eyes were hurting from an especially long, exhausting day and I looked at the stove light and thought- "I kind of miss using that old, faithful, yellow light to cook by at  night, it was kind of soothing..." And caught myself wondering why on earth I would ever want to go back to using that dingy light.

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Last year I ran an after school program at a boarding school. I hated it. The school was affectionately known as the "school from hell". The kids did not care, the teachers did not care, and occasionally I found that I did not care. I hate not caring about things so I prayed fervently that God would give me a love for this place. Well, He did, and ironically I volunteered to work at the school this year teaching classes during the day. I went from having a max of 8 students at a time in an informal setting to having a minimum of 28 students in a classroom at a time.

I started out the venture in good spirits. High hopes of great achievements and huge hurdles being leaped over. I quickly lost my enthusiasm and found myself wishing that I had not volunteered for the position.

So there's this saying that I have always kind of hated,

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence"

But I guess sometimes it proves true. In both situations I found myself discontent with some factor of some sort. However I have not finished either story yet. You see, the grass may seem different and we can live our lives always chasing the other pasture, but then again, we can also make the most of what we have been given and find contentment.

In the case of the kitchen light... I find myself occasionally smiling as I turn off the main light in the kitchen and turn on the dingy stove light to finish dinner or make coffee or tea or something and enjoy a small seemingly insignificant pleasure that I only found by being forced to use the "sub-par".

In the case of the "school from hell".... I find myself frustrated out of my mind sometimes at the situations that present themselves on a daily basis among my 50+ students there ages 8-14 and my co-teachers who really want a break from the children, so they only support you as long as it does not cause them any more trouble. However, I have learned and in many ways am still learning to look at each little victory there and see God's hand moving and molding and changing me, my students, and my coworkers. When my "Bad students" write more neatly than my "good students" I get super excited....When I can get my "student that hates my guts" to acknowledge me and respond to a question I just about squeal into my microphone and jump up and down and praise them because it was good. No matter how small, it was good. There was progress. When a teacher gets concerned because it is a cold, wet, rainy day out and I am wearing short sleeves, my heart is warmed because it shows concern where there was once none. I honestly would not change schools if given the opportunity. I am honored that Daddy has placed me in such a difficult place and I know that in doing so I get to see Him work in some pretty amazing ways. I have come to love this place, and as much as I hate it sometimes (hmmm) I do, deep down inside, love it. =)
Ironic, isn't it?

No matter what the situation, no matter how big or how small, He is at work. He works all things for good according to His good pleasure and He sustains us through the "bad". He is our strong tower, the horn of our salvation, our shelter, our refuge- the lifter of our heads.

What situation do you find yourself in that you wish you could change? Maybe it is time to stop focusing on what you hate about the situation and choose to look at how God is using it to perfect you and work in those around you.