"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."
-Proverbs 11:25
My homepage on my laptop is set to http://www.verseoftheday.com/. It's a way I incorporate a little more of the bible into my daily life. In honesty, most of the time I skim over this opening page, quickly accessing my email. I'm glad I didn't today, because God wanted me to see Proverbs 11:25 today.
I'm not a fan of complaining or whining about how difficult my life is. I've learned over the years that no matter how bad I may think my situation is, someone else has it worse, and I'm really blessed. However, life gets the best of me at times, and I'll admit, this summer hasn't been one of my favorites. I'll try to fill you in as best as possible without pitying myself. I decided not to go home and stay on campus for the summer to work. I work around 30-35 weeks in the admissions office on campus. Then, after that, I put in another 30-40 hours waitressing at a restaurant in a neighboring town, about 25 miles away. I'm working close to 70 hours a week and spend around an hour on the road every day. I'm away from my family and have neglected my old friends. My two jobs require that I remain mentally "in the game," if you will. My office job has me doing favors for people here and there, giving tours and making sure potential students have a great time on campus. They need my best attitude. Then, without missing a beat, I need to be at my waitressing job, and providing a friendly dining experience there. Human relations has been my middle name, and I'm starting to get burnt out. Negativity has gotten the best of me, and to put it bluntly, I'm tired of having to be in a great mood all the time. I'm tired of bending over backwards for people, and when someone turns to me and says, "Could I get another drink, please?" I've been close to snapping back, "No, you can't," and walking away. That was the moment I realized I needed to have a spiritual refresher.
I've claimed that my ultimate goal is to make life easier for those around me. I've taken it upon myself to serve and love others. Isn't that what we're called to do. Well, that's come to bite me, and I need to remind myself why I do what I do for others. Lucky for us, God has all the answers. "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." I've noticed the more I try to hoard my time to myself and the more I grab for, the harder things get and the more unhappy I become. When I feel like I can't give anymore of myself, the answer if that I need to give more. I need to let go. The more I try to hang on to it, the harder things will become. God has promised us that those who give until they can't will be rewarded. By helping others, we will be helped in return. It's a beautiful cycle. However, we just fail to see it at times.
He died on a cross for me. How little it is which I have to give for others.
