Jim's Text

   My friend Jimmy caught me off guard yesterday.  He gave me a dose of my own medicine just when I needed it. About 3:00 pm I received a group text from him sent to each of the four other guys in our small group.  It simply read:
             "Wondering how content 
                 you are today, men.  

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:  
Rejoice always, pray continually, 

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  

   Yesterday at 3:00 pm, I was not content.  I was feeling pressures that were both real and perceived and I was having a silent and private pity party that Jimmy quite rudely interrupted.  I was feeling justified in my frustrations and, like a pig in the mud, I wanted to stay there rather than taking the time to declutter the muddiness of my life. What had me frustrated? Oh, there was nothing earthshaking; it was just a bunch of little bothers:

• I was having trouble with my computer.
• My computer was having trouble with me.
• My next appointment with my bone marrow transplant team is Monday and I have questions I want answered now, like "Can I start school?" "When will my fingernails stop breaking?" "When can I get my port out?" and "Why does dairy still taste like some form of toxic sludge?" 
• At school my curriculum responsibilities are different this year and I had been attempting to negotiate the first few weeks of lesson planning in Algebra and 7th Grade Math (two new courses for me) when I did not have all of the resources I was supposed to have or a clear sense of scope and sequence for the classes.
• I will be teaching all new science material again this year.
• I lost my 8th Grade Bible class.  This was my favorite one to teach last year.
• I received a phone call regarding my pet scan and I did not receive a glowing "All Clear" report. Instead it was a cautious "Mostly Clear" report.  There is something in the right armpit that is suspicious.  The doctor told me not to be concerned until we could run more tests (yeah, right).  Follow-up to this unexpected news starts on Monday. 
• I know I am going to miss a friend who has recently moved for another job.
• When I arrived at home, the kitchen was a mess, the dishwasher needed to be emptied, the trash had to get out, the lawn needed mowing, and the kids were just being lazy about even seeing the work that needed to be done (actually, they were just being kids but I didn't have time or patience for that). 

   I placed them altogether in an old pot, kept them over a low heat, let them stew in their own juices, and the result was worry and frustration.  I was feeling anxious instead of culling and disposing of the worries I had so that I could protect my sense of contentment.  Why did I slip into that trap again of collecting the little problems facing me and not laying them down so that I could have a sense of mental calm?  I don't know.  The challenge continues for me to fight for that sense of contentment in my spirit.  I am glad now that Jimmy texted us all at 3:00 yesterday.  The other guys might have been content at that moment, but I was not.  His intrusion into my day was necessary.  Once again, timing is everything (thanks, Jim).