Would you rather have more money or more time? Of course, any person who is nearing death no longer cares as much as they once did about money. We even have biblical examples of this.
King Hezekiah was approached by the prophet Isaiah in 2 Kings 20 and told this, “Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.” Hezekiah wept and went to God in prayer and God heard his prayer and granted him 15 more years of life. In these circumstances the choice is obvious. However, it’s not long after this that Hezekiah is showing off the wealth of Israel to the Babylonians. It seems like in times of good health, our focus easily shifts to the temporary things in life rather than the things that really matter.
Just recently, Whitney and I had some prayers answered for us, but not in the way we expected. We have been down to one car for a month and our car has been in the shop with transmission issues. We had already been told that our car was no longer under warranty. The word “transmission” immediately is associated in everyone’s mind as a big money expense. Luckily, we had the money to fix it, but we were not sure how serious the problem would be and how much it would cost. It has been a big stressor in our lives for a month now. We finally got news on it, and we found out that it wasn’t the transmission itself but the transmission module control. Which just so happens to have an extended warranty on the part meaning that we would not have to pay a dime! Of course, with that blessing came a setback. I was told “this part is the most back-ordered part in America.” I found out what the cost of free was today, and the answer I got was we would have to wait 5-6 months minimum for the part we needed.
It’s amazing how quickly we can ignore God’s blessings when something negative pops up. I celebrated for about 2 seconds in my mind, then I was hit with the news that I would have to be patient. God indeed answered my prayers, in a better way than I expected Him to. There was only just one catch.
I want you to take a moment and reflect on the troubles in your life. How much trouble has God saved you? How many things do you truly have to be thankful for? Then when you realize that the good exceeds the bad look to your right and left. How have your neighbor’s last few months of life been? My neighbor to my right lost her dog of 17 years. She also missed celebrating Christmas with her family because of Covid. My neighbor to my left has had repairmen at her house more days than not in the last 3 months. It’s easy to forget and ignore those who are hurting around us when we are too focused on the negativity in our own lives.
So, remember this: you aren’t the only one going through hardship, suffering just makes it feel like you are. Count your blessings, pray for relief, and most importantly, don’t forget your neighbor.
Jared Kelly
Dalraida church of Christ is a congregation of Christians that meet in the mid-town area of Montgomery, Alabama. Our goal and purpose is to seek and follow God and His Word in everything that we do in life.