Gracey,

What a beautiful post.....thank you for sharing.

How many time we don't see what is right in front of us because we are so caught up in our own lives, or as you say ministeries of our own. We can expect others to act, & we see what others should do & see, but when it comes to ourselves, we think we are doing everything we should be doing & we couldn't possibly be like all those others that we see doing it all wrong.

Not until it is pointed out to us do we realize that we are missing the important things in life that are around us. How it takes someone that is blind to see what we don't see, just tells us how caught up in our thoughts we are that we don't let ourselves see as clearly as someone who is more sensitive to life around them.....who isn't as caught up in the bad things in the world around them & filled with knowing that something needs to happen rather that really seeing the actual world that is directly around them.

As the ID theft & breakin of my truck in Albuquerque last week is unfolding, it looks like that the person who stole the information off my credit card & took my drivers license to verify my ID(the motel clerk....it had to be) then broke into my truck to find more ID information, was actually using it for the good for someone (friend, girlfriend, ????). Sadly, the credit card was used to purchase children's shoes & to pay a water bill that was way overdue & was about to be shut off. It was also used to pay for phone service through crickettcom those details I could get no information on.

I got all my money back from the ID theft use so far, but the loss of my flute is keeping me on the trail & also making me push the police & that I can possibly get to help. Given what I have found out, part of me wants to call & offer that I will pay the water bill & buy the shoes if only all my things will be returned to me as they were in the bag.......making sure that they know in the future that this is not the way to get help.

I could look at the picture & see nothing but my truck break-in & theft of my ID & my valuable flute & jewelry with my anger closing out everything else......but the picture is showing much more when I really look at it & it really is a sad picture of someone trying hard just to help someone else at this Christmas time of year...trying to make a childrens christmas better just by buying shoes & making sure that water is not being shut off.

Opening our eyes to see the reality of what is around us isn't easy when we are so thoroughly involved in our own world & crusades.....it is amazing what we see when other point out to us what we try to point out to others.

Your post hit home with everything I am going through right now & is so meaningful especially at this time of year, but important to keep in our mind throughout the year.

Thank you for sharing this post,
Debbie