'Still Grumpy?'

I have class in 30 minutes so I am sitting here preparing under the fans in the guest house where we've been living for the last week. It's 9 o'clock and something dreadful happens everyday at 9 am. It's terribly hot this time of year infact all the teaching staff describe it like standing right next to a fire. But not only is it hot, heavy dew falls at night and in the morning when it heats we feel like we are living in a green house. Ceiling fans are crucial this time of year, but at 9 am everyday the power is shut off. From 9-11 we have no fans. In the classrooms with 40-80 students I stand in one place and try not to move. The kids use their books as fans and when the school day is finished I look like I took a bath with all of my clothes on. Ahh... what misery.

But yesterday I Kara read to me a devotional called 'Still Grumpy?' Usually the heat makes me an unpleasant person to be around, but the heat hasn't really affected me too much this last month. But something I wanted to share from the devotion, the author shared some of the things he was thankful for and it got me thinking:

1. For the taxes I pay, because it means I am emplyed.
2. For the mess to clean after a party, because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
3. For the clothes that fit a little too snugly, because it means I have enough to eat.
4. For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.
5. For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means we have a freedom of speech.
6. For the person behind me in church who sings off key, because it means I can hear.
7. For the weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I am capable of working.

There are so many things we complain about but if we would take deeper look at things would we change them if we had the opportunity? Would I give up the heat in India for something else? Mmmm, it's very tempting, but no. I'm thankful for no fans and hot, hot weather because it means that I've been blessed to travel to this part of the world and learn all that I have learned. What a real blessing!