Who would have thought that I would welcome the pounding and thudding up on my roof? Yet, at last, the long-anticipated and dreaded day had arrived! Our condo association board had been preparing us for several months for this reality. It was — unavoidably — time to replace the roof. What a massive undertaking this would be for our facility of a large central building and 25 cottages scattered around the grounds.

This project wasn’t to be done in a day! Oh, no: first came a tear-off crew to remove the old shingles and underlayment. Then, the workers who replaced the shingles and gutters came later. Trim work and touch-up were then done at the end. The crews could work in the rain, but not in ice or snow, so work in mid-winter was iffy. Nonetheless, this was an essential project, and the work was eventually completed, and the result was satisfying.

Can you think of essential tasks that you’d much rather skip? How about going to the dentist, or figuring your taxes? How about washing the windows or changing the oil in your car? There are many things in life that we wish would go away, but we just have to power through them, like it or not. There’s no way around regular chores, so dragging our feet doesn’t make them go away.

Our innate dislike of the unpleasant has a spinoff that can become a serious problem — complaining. Every day, I hear people around me complaining about ways that they feel mistreated or put upon. They have little empathy or consideration for service providers, and they simply want what they want — now! This discontent spreads like a cancer to others until it is pervasive.

One way to better deal with these unpleasantries in life is to adopt a more optimistic frame of mind. I often try to lessen negativity around me by offering a compliment or pointing out something good to counterbalance the complaint. Looking at the positive outcome or result of unpleasant tasks makes the drudgery seem more bearable. Such inner change in attitudes, however, is not easy or automatic. It can come only through God’s power.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Romans 12:2a NLT)

We would do well to emulate Paul’s attitude: “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have” (Philippians 4:11b NLT) and “Be thankful in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18a NLT). Let’s trust God to enable us to react positively to the challenges and hardships in our lives. In addition, let’s try to look for the good that will come through this perseverance.

Prayer: Dear Father, You have given us so much for which to be thankful. Rather than habitually focusing on the negative and inconvenient, may we stop to look for the good in people and things around us. Amen.

Copyright © 2023, by Gail Lundquist <gail10833@gmail.com>, first published on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional presbycan.ca  
Beaverton, Oregon, USA

Used with the permission of PresbyCan and author.