Focusing on the positive is a part of my role as a teacher. Finding the positive in other experiences help point me to the big and little ways God is pouring blessings into my life.
Somewhere between being sneezed and coughed on by 8 loving toddlers, I got myself a very lovely set of pink eyes. I haven't had pinkeye since I was in elementary school. It is not exactly debilitating, but it is a rather disgusting and obvious infection that meant I couldn't put anything in or on my eyes for one week. It might not seem like a big deal, but for a girl who worries (a bit too much) about looking nice, a whole week with glasses and no makeup seemed scary! In reality, it was kind of liberating to get ready in the morning and leave my face as it was! By the end of the week, I was able to look in the mirror and be satisfied with how I looked. I'm not so reformed that I will shun contacts and eye makeup forever, but I may be less picky about who sees my bare face.
This morning, I had twenty minutes between buses and decided to walk a few blocks. Downtown Minneapolis is fascinating when you understand it! Many mornings I spend my layover walking, and I have started to see how all the "puzzle pieces" of downtown fit together. I actually know where the two different 2nd Ave's are, how to get to the hospital, multiple highways, Nicollet Mall, and North Minneapolis. Plus, I know exactly where Panera, Starbucks, and Louann's (my new early morning coffee shop) are! When you walk anywhere, even just for a few minutes, you notice things you didn't notice before. The feuding valet attendant and limo driver, the hair clip lying on the ground, the empty candy box that didn't move for at least a week, the artwork at the light rail stations. There is so much more to see, and you miss it when you drive.
While that fact helps make my mornings more enjoyable, it doesn't effect every facet of my life. I usually spend my 30-minute bus ride down University Ave. reading my Bible and then dozing off and ignoring whatever is happening around me. This morning, however my plans were interrupted by a 50-something, slightly dirtied man who came and sat next to me as I read 1 Peter. He made a comment about how it was nice to see someone in the Word, and from there the talking didn't stop for more than a few seconds. It was less of a conversation and more of one man talking to a less-than talkative girl who would nod and agree when appropriate. At first, I was trying to find a way to shut the man out for my dozing, but then I realized that no matter how tired I was, the bus ride wasn't about me. Even if I divulged very little information in return, my listening ear was the least I could give that man. So for half an hour, I listened. I didn't get to drift in and out of consciousness, but I got to give a fraction of my time to someone who wanted to talk, so it was okay.
"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."
Hebrews 13:20,21
Heather, the Lord is using you. Whether people merely witness your actions as you sit on the bus or while you listen to someone who just needs someone to talk to, the Lord is proclaiming volumes through you.
ReplyDeleteYou are a good woman. I'm glad I know you.