Have you ever noticed when things go wrong, they come in bunches?  I don’t know about you but when things break in my house and life, it is one after another like waves on a beach.  And this subsequently creates a season of financial challenges.  This is life.

In the last two weeks the following has happened:

  • My upstairs air conditioning went out costing me over $1,000.
  • The budget on my electric bill was underpaid last year costing me over $300 to catch up.
  • My escrow was also underpaid creating an unexpected expense of several hundred dollars.
  • My homeowners association decided I needed over $400 of yard improvements.
  • There were several other steep costs this past month.
  • And finally, the air conditioner on my car went out last week and will cost over $1,000.

Have you ever been here?  You probably have.  This is life.  As I heard someone say today, “You are either in a storm, leaving a storm, or getting ready to enter a storm.”  

Fortunately, I have been saving for emergencies for quite a while so I have not had to go in debt.  However, my savings is definitely taking an unexpected hit.

I was growing frustrated as the bills were coming in one after another.  I began to dread going to the mailbox or answering my phone.  My wife said, “Honey, don’t lose your joy.”  I replied, “I’m not losing my joy.  I’m losing thousands of dollars.”  Can you tell she is the mature one in the family!

Here was what I was reminded of and 11 things I am embarrassed to admit about myself:

  1. I am embarrassed about how much I am addicted to comfort and how much it matters to me.
  2. I am embarrassed about how easy I want things to be.
  3. I am embarrassed how addicted I am to systems.  Things are simply supposed to work a certain way and when they do not, I am not happy.
  4. I am embarrassed how much I hate inconvenience and do not see how God uses inconvenience to smooth off my rough edges and make me more like Him.
  5. I am embarrassed because enough is never enough.  I think I trust God with my money but spend a lot of time figuring out my retirement and next vacation.
  6. I am embarrassed about how quickly I can go from relaxation and self-reliance to desperation.
  7. I am embarrassed about my inability to distinguish between an inconvenience and emergency and a crisis.
  8. I am embarrassed about my lack of perspective and that God is telling an incredible story and I do not see everyday events in it.  Or sometimes things just simply break for no reason at all.  This is life.
  9. I am embarrassed because most of the world has it much, much worse – often unspeakably worse.  A friend of mine would call what I am going through “West Region problems.”
  10. I am embarrassed by my lack of peace during stormy seasons.  I have been a Christian 37 years and should be a lot more mature than this.  It’s not like I haven’t been here before and God has always provided.
  11. Most of all, I am embarrassed how ungrateful I am when God has already provided the financial resources for this and I get frustrated rather than thankful.

Can you relate?  You probably can.  This is life.

1269

Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences.  Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others.  If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader.  Enjoy!!!

,

Designed by Rolla Creative