What Have You Done For Me Lately?

I had a bad attitude this morning. I'll be the first to admit that.

I was driving to school, on not enough sleep, thinking about all I had to do for the day, for the weekend and for the coming week. Thinking about the transitions that will happen in the next week.

I was worried for my sister. She was having an MRI done today on her hip. More on that later. I was worried for a cousin of mine. During one of her high school classes yesterday, she went to the bathroom and never came back. She is reported missing and nobody has any idea where she is.

All of that, and struggling with being in this time of year, remembering all of the trials from last fall, I just had a bad attitude. And I think I kind of said, "You know, God, what have you done for me lately? Do you know how hard life is getting?

And you know what happened? I came over the hill on the highway and my view was this:

(These pictures were -shamefully- taken while I was driving. My camera was in my rolling briefcase bag and I was able to snap a few shots.)

I believe that God painted that scene just for me. That beautiful sunrise that brightly lit the different colors in the sky was just for me.

God responding, "Look what I'm doing for you NOW." He didn't have to paint those colors in the sky, but He did.

He didn't have to give me a sunny morning. But He did.

And if He can do even that, what more can He do for me? He forgives my sins and blesses me beyond belief every day.

Even on those days, like today, when I fail to recognize it.

Prayer request for my cousin, Anna, who is still missing at this time. Not sure how I can help other than pray right now.

Prayer request for my sister, who didn't get very good results from her MRI today. She will need a major surgery on her hip. She has torn something. The bad part is, she will be laid up for about 6 months. She will be in the hospital for a few weeks, followed by bed rest and then weeks of intensive physical therapy. She will need to be in a wheelchair. Remembering the 10 weeks of my life last year when I was in a wheelchair, I don't want her to go through that. I don't want her to go through what I did. I just don't. I just feel so bad for her. I will see her next weekend, but in the mean time... I wish there was something more I could be doing.

Though God reminded me of His presence through the sunrise, it was still a day full of challenges. During a reading practice time, I was working with a group in the library on guided reading, and the paraeducator was working a few feet away with another boy. She had asked him to do something and he responded, "Screw you." After a few moments of shock, hearing that from a first grader, I had to take care of it.

I had noon recess duty and on the way in, I smelled something and realized one of my students had gone in his pants. So I also had to take care of that. 

It has been one of those days. But I'm hanging on strong. Praying.