A different perspective

Let me tell you about a story that happened today...


I'm in the middle of searching for a job and I thought I had a good lead at a coffee shop but sadly I got a call today while getting ready for the event that I will tell you about shortly and no dice on that job.


I was in charge of an Ultimate Frisbee tournament that happened today. I had a blast and I think that it was a good success and as far as I could tell people really seemed to enjoy themselves.


After all was said and done, I was tossing a disc with one of the ladies that was there as I hadn't been able to play in any of the games (I didn't play because I was organizing it and I have shin splints at the moment). So tossing the disc was amazingly fun. But then it happened.


I went to get the disc but my left foot slipped in the wet grass and my knee cap decided that it did not want to stay where it was supposed to. I had to move my knee cap from the left side of my leg back to where it is supposed to be. Extreme pain...if there is one thing that I can recommend about your knee cap, don't dislocate it.


As I was laying on the ground writhing in pain, a group of people started to form to see what they could do to help. There wasn't anything they really could do. I just needed to let the pain subside so that I could walk to my car. I finally decided that the pain wasn't going to get much better than it already had. I got up with help and started to hobble to the car with help and got in with help. It was a good thing that it was my left leg or I don't think I would have been able to drive home.


As I was hobbling to the car, the nice young lady that I had playing with caught up and gave me a hug because she felt bad. I reassured her that I would be fine and that there was no way it was her fault.


As I was driving home, I realized that I didn't have my phone. I figured that it probably fell out of my pocket while I thought I wanted to chop my leg off to make the pain stop. I didn't know what to do as I couldn't call anyone to help me. The best thing that I could think of was to go to the house of the friend who was helping me as he could only be about 5-10 minutes behind me. I told him my predicament and we headed back to campus.


We got there and a saddening feeling just overcame me as the sprinklers were on in the location where we were tossing the disc. We called the phone and could hear it and then we went to the AV to see if it had been turned in there and no dice there and then we went to the Rec Center to see if it had been turned in there and still no dice.


We decided to look one last time and at last we heard it. If you haven't heard my ring tone before, you should ask me because it is pretty awesome. Even better yet, some how the sprinklers had not hit it. Praise God! It is rather hard in this day and age to not have a working phone.


So the end of my evening really wasn't going my way. I got hurt and lost my phone. But a verse that reminds me almost daily that I should have a different perspective on life made me think differently. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."


Let me expand on this a little. Now I sure do love God. Great, we can move on...the next two words are the ones that I have to remind myself of a lot. ALL THINGS...not just when you think that you have everything all together and life seems peachy, but when things are hard. When you think that everything and everyone seems to be against you. When you hurt your leg and lose your phone all in the same night. ALL THINGS work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.


I know that I have been called according to his purpose so even when I don't get the job, hurt my leg, and lose my phone in the same evening, I know that some how in some way that it was all for my good because I love my God and he loves me a whole lot more. I may not know or understand at the moment how it is for my good but I know that it is. I have seen this verse in action and know that it is true. Ask me about it some time and let me tell you how much my God has done for me.