Anybody you view with contempt?

And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.'

"But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner! "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Ever feel too unworthy to pray? Looks like the real problem is when a person feels worthy to be heard in Heaven. Ever view others with contempt and don't even want to be in their presence because they are too unworthy? There is alot to be learned in these few verses of Luke 18.

The responsibility the purpose in life of providing for self and family and helping others

8 days ago...on the 3rd...evidently I titled this post...though I don't remember doing that and wouldn't have noticed it had my older brother not emailed me about the brevity of it...LOL. So now I'm trying to think about that title...fresh, because I have no idea what the original article was going to contain.

That responsibility and focus in life permeates practically every aspect of living. Finally got a job I can do with limited hearing, its hard work but peaceful for the most part. Still don't know exactly what I'll be making since it will be a couple more weeks before the first paycheck, but it is a relief to finally have a reliable income. Once the brain goes into "survival mode" there is a constant pressure to remedy it and get back on my feet.

Yet not everybody is that fortunate. While repairing apartments for government subsidized housing it was often very very sad-making to see the struggles people had even for the most meager existence. There are SO many people in our country right now that are just barely able to keep utilities on and food on the table...and there are SO many people in our country right now that can't even do that...utilities getting cut off during the month, some days of the month scarcely any food to eat. Once the car breaks down it stays broken. Some of these people even have full time jobs but at a minimal wage...since we've exported most of our jobs that enabled the undereducated a means of a decent living.

I suppose just the title of this blog was enough in itself to express where my thoughts were.
But the next day I finally started work...and hopefully once things are caught up, that "worry" will gradually exit and just become routine again.

Waiting

Waiting is an interesting status to be in. Thinking maybe I finally found work I can do with my hearing loss that will be a decent living...(even though it will involve working with loud equipment much of the time and no doubt contribute to the decay...it will still be a source of income). Yet they call me on like the 20th to let me know I was selected, and schedule me for a full physical including back x-ray and all for the 23rd...I find out from the drug lab that they didn't receive the specimen for their part till the 29th and it is "being processed".

That is where the wait comes, since I know that 3 and possibly 4 of the prescriptions I've been on for my shoulder will test positive on their 5 panel screen...so the test has to go thru the first process then the confirmation process where they make double sure it wasn't a false positive...so I keep waiting so that when it comes in I can haul my scripts down there...but calling the doctor several times a week has really ticked off his assistant ( I think because the employer has been calling too).

This "war on drugs" has gotten ridiculous when they are allowed to hold up employment for half a month before they get their answers. But waiting has given me some time to think about alot of stuff. It is hard to relax and navigate life with immediate issues like "income" demanding so much concentration. There are quite a few things I want to blog about but "all circuits are busy" that part of my brain doesn't want to work on summarizing other issues that are stirring in the subconscious...it just stays stuck waiting fully focused on this major issue. So the title of this post catches you up on my status...though I finally did call the lab itself and have at least reason to hope the waiting will end very soon. Just hope it ends before the job window does !!

TIME TO GET UP

It has definitely been an odd week. Rolling out of bed, stretching, preparing for the day my wife mentions that it is 02:45am. "Oh no, not again!" ...seems my internal clock has been playing this game with me for several weeks now. But this time it was her that said "Oh Crap!"...didn't take me too long to figure out where she had set her watch when we went to sleep so I just asked flat out...is that 245 dr. Pepper time or standard time? Good thing its a waterproof watch! LOL.

"Where are you going?" she asked as I just kept moving. "To do my pushups and fix oatmeal you want some?" "Sure, why not". And thus our day began. Though I am going back to bed for a little nap.

The week has been like that from the get-go. Monday when i was pushing her wheelchair down the stairs to get her to her dr. appt. I slipped and bruised up my arm good, while she took the blunt of it with the back of her head hitting the steps. Again, Thank the Good Lord that wasn't major. Later that day my pickup blew out a steer tire on my way home from work. Tuesday the starter went out AGAIN in me old ford pickup so I went ahead and got a new one this time gut Wednesday morning it wojldn't engage the flywheel. Had a sheetrocking job and a plumbing job that HAD to be done so I transferred the tools over and knocked it out and came home.

Now that I've had my oatmeal, I'm going back to bed. ;)