There is Always Someone Hurting Worse...

I was on the phone with my friend Angela when she received a call on the other line. It was her homeless friend. Angela has been ministering to a young woman who has a baby and has been living on the streets, struggling with substance abuse for 15 years. Angela's plate is full with a large family and a husband who is looking for employment. Still she finds time to help others less fortunate than herself.

Someone without a paycheck helping someone without a home... The scenario struck me as ironic and so Jesus-like. Instead of sitting around a moping about her situation Angela is ministering.

Then there's Andrea Bigelow... You may have heard about her in the news. She's a former claims adjuster who lost her job and now she's widely known as one of the best cake and dessert bakers in the Durham area. She told NBC17, "We're still eating, we still have a roof over our head, we're still able to send our son to private school," she said. "Prayer works."

I know for me when life doesn't go the way I expected it to- even the way I thought God had promised or led- it's easy to become bitter and self-absorbed. People like Angela and Andrea inspire me because they are turning their difficult circumstances into something God is using for good.