THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Complain Not
"Do everything without complaining or arguing." Philippians 2:14 (NIV)
My son Christopher was born with a defective heart. His first open-heart surgery took place when he was only four months old and it was followed by two more operations over the next ten years.
At age eleven, Chris's heart and lungs gave out - but his spirit didn't.
While patiently waiting for a heart/lung transplant he was confined to a wheelchair and was on a respirator twenty-four hours a day. People would rudely stare at my son and he would react by simply smiling and saying "Hi". If anyone at anytime ever asked Chris how he was feeling, his response was always "Fine." No one ever heard my son complain - it just wasn't in his nature. I had taken to calling him "Bear" when he was just a toddler because of his tenacious spirit.
After Chris succumbed to his illness before an organ donor could be found, a headstone with these words was placed on his grave: "How ya' doing Bear? Fine."
My son's life was very brief but it left a powerful legacy that lives on in my heart and that of the hundreds of others he met during his short time on earth.
PRAYER: Lord, you've blessed me immensely, in small ways and in great ways. Please help me to be a shining example to others by not complaining about my trivial trials. Amen.
