Not a Coincidence

My father was involved in an on-the-job accident in September that left him unable to do his job (or comfortably count to ten on his fingers). He was on workman's comp until the very beginning of January. When he tried to go back t work, he was told his job was no longer there.

Now, before you get all huffy (like I did), he wasn't fired. He had a contract position, and it was filled while he was out. Which is still a bit crap, but not illegal.

Anyway, he has been unemployed since January. It is a difficult time to find a job (as I'm sure many of you know), and that stress takes a toll. Apparently my father's unemployment will run out soon, so the push is even harder now. And yesterday, their air conditioner died.

That's right. June in Houston, and the AC coughed it's death rattle.

But here is the fascinating part. A month or so ago, my dad was called in for some test on his finger to see how it was healing, and his results said he had a "3% impairment". None of us knew what that meant, and we all cracked a few jokes about it and went along.

Yesterday, maybe a few hours after the devastating loss of their AC, my dad got a phone call. Because of his 3% impairment, he will be receiving another round of checks from workman's comp. For the next 10 weeks. HOURS after a very expensive, very important machine died.

Coincidence? I think not.

Sometimes, even the most faithful of us are blind to blessings. We encounter them every single day; some are obvious to us, some are obvious to others though we are blind to see, and sometimes they don't feel anything like blessings. I am happy to report that we are all aware - and thankful - of this awesome blessing. One more deep breath to keep going.

God never promises us an easy walk. In fact, I'm thinking he promised the opposite when asking us to follow the path of Christ. But he also promises never to give us more than we can handle. Every deep breath we catch as our heads burst above water is a gift from God. Sometimes we even get a raft and stay afloat for a good, long while.

Look around you at your blessings and challenge yourself to find them in the darkness. Hey, the fact that you can even SEE to look around you is a gift. Cherish it, and be grateful for "life's random moments of wonder" that aren't so random after all.