Aching Body, Inner Peace.

As I sit here in my newly floored kitchen, I sit and think about my life thus far. It's had more ups and down than the worlds greatest roller coasters. I've been in love, had my heart broken, felt days of unsurpassed joy, and those that I swore the light at the end of the tunnel was an oncoming train. In all this I look back and see how God has used every moment, every messed up decision I've made, every waivering step to bring to where I am today and make me the man I am. We all have our trials and tribulations and none seem greater than our own, untill we really look deeply at other peoples lives. Then we see that we don't really have it that bad.
For all the mistakes and miss steps that I've made in my life, God has still used it to His glory and His honor. Some how, some way, He takes it all and makes it better. He does so much more than kiss my boo boos. He uses them to make me a better person. This makes me so thankful to be taken care of by the Creator. I know that no matter what, He's got my back. "When God is for us, who can stand against us?"
Today my body is aching from the hard work we did yesterday laying the new flooring in our kitchen. I would normally be complaining about it, but I find no reason to complain. Instead, I'm taking a different perspective on it. I consider it a blessing that I have a kitchen to lay flooring in. I look back on the past 2 or 3 years and can't hardly believe where we are today. 3 years ago I was going thru physical therapy after 2 surgeries on my back. Laid up in an apartment, hundreds of miles from family and friends, and not seeing much of a future for myself. Now here I sit in my debt free home, in a kitchen that, while not fully furnished, is paid for. I have an awesome wife, 2 step children that adore me, and am surrounded by family and friends that truly care how we are.
I still find it hard to look at my job as a blessing, because it takes me away from where I want to be, but I know that my Creator will use this time as a sharpening stone in my life as well. I have to just let Him finish knocking the rough edges off. This is where I find my peace to keep plugging away at my "dead-end, no end in sight, no promotion possible" j-o-b. I know that He has put me there for a reason during this time, and I just need to be thankful to be working at all.
So all in all, my aching body never felt so good!