Recently Brian and I had to have our house re-roofed due to the damage which Hurricane Irma did back in September of last year when she decided to blow through our part of town! The workers did a fabulous job and we are more than pleased with the outcome of our new roof.
I've gotta be honest and tell you that I've NEVER EVER before heard NOISE like I did that day!
WOW!
I truly thought the sky was falling down upon us! Or someone had dropped a bomb or two or three on top of the house!
It was ear deafening!
Head splitting!
Nerve wracking!
BUT, in the midst of all the hammering, scraping, pounding and nailing, there was a sound I heard in every room I entered which truly amazed me and to this day the Lord is still using that sound in my life as an object lesson!
So what was this mystery sound you might ask?
It was none other than the melodious sound of one of the workers whistling!
This guy
whistled
ALL
day long!
He NEVER stopped!
He whistled from the time they showed up at 7:30 a.m. until they left our house around 7:30 p.m. Well, he did stop to eat lunch!
It's been several weeks since we had our new roof put on, but like I wrote earlier, the Lord still brings this man to my mind! He truly made an impact on me!
WHY?
Well for one thing, here's a guy doing one of the hardest, most back-breaking jobs ever.
Up on a roof with the Florida sun beating down on him all day long, with the Florida temps in the upper 80s, plus the Florida humidity, not to mention those nasty gnats which fly right into your face! Working a twelve-hour day with an hour break for lunch, but otherwise, working non stop, and he's whistling the entire time!
His whistling not only made an impression on me, it made me smile BIG!
I don't know anything about this guy.
I don't know if he goes home to a wife and children and sits down to a nice home cooked meal or if he's single, widowed or divorced and goes home to a quiet lonely one bedroom apartment and pops a TV dinner in the microwave.
I have no idea if he lives paycheck to paycheck or has money saved in the bank.
Maybe he has an invisible illness but needs to work anyway to support himself and his family.
I don't know if he owns his own car or hitches a ride to work from a buddy.
I have no idea what life circumstances this man deals with on a daily basis.
Granted, he may live "the good life", but we all have issues we must deal with, and the Lord showed me that day, and many times since that day, that this guy chooses to live above them.
He whistles his way through life!
Or at least he whistled his way through that particular day!
How do I know he lives above his circumstances?
Well, have you ever known of a grumpy, disgruntled, angry, sad, mean, melancholy, discontented man who whistled all day long?
Yeah, me neither!
Recently I went for my doctor's appointment and ended up having to wait well over one hour!
BUT WAIT, please know that the medical assistant apologized many times for the long delay, and as soon as the doctor opened the door, the first thing she said was how sorry she was for keeping me waiting so long! That's just one of the many reasons why my physician is extra special!
HOWEVER, was I whistling while I was out in the waiting room?
Ummmmm, NO!
In fact my whining and complaining began as soon as we pulled into the parking lot and I saw ALL the cars!
I cringed telling you that!
When we walked into the waiting room, I let out a gasp and rolled my eyes when I saw ALL the people waiting for their appointments!
I cringed even more telling you that!
Whistling may not have been appropriate in a doctor's waiting room, and besides, I can't whistle anyway, but I certainly could have been smiling or showing an attitude of contentment to those around me.
But, NO, I proceeded to check my watch a million times. Crossed and uncrossed my legs a thousand times, and sighed until I had no breath left in me!
I didn't even want to share that with all of you, but it's the truth and I had to be honest!
I could sense The Holy Spirit tapping me on the shoulder whispering in my ear, "Remember the guy who whistled!"
You definitely
cannot whistle
while you're
whining
over waiting!
What about the times I allow my mind to wander here, there and everywhere. Asking questions such as,
"Will I ever recover from this chronic illness?"
"Will it just continue to worsen?"
"What will tomorrow be like?"
"Will I end up in a wheelchair some day?"
"What if, what if, WHAT IF?"
What are some of YOUR "what if" questions?
You certainly
cannot whistle
when your mind
is wandering
which leads
to worrying!
I recently found myself doing this very thing, and once again I felt the tug of The Holy Spirit nudging me to remember the guy who whistled!
I should have stopped my wandering mind right then and there and began whistling, or in my case since I can't whistle, turned on one of my Pandora stations, began singing along and worshiping the Lord. Or pulling out my "Gifts From God and Gifts From Others" journal and began recording my abundance of blessings!
No, life is not always easy.
It's not always hearts and roses and living on "cloud nine"!
But for those of us who know Christ as our personal Saviour, we have the best things in the whole wide world to cause us to whistle 24/7!
Jesus has saved us from our sins!
We have Jesus with us at all times!
We can pray to the Lord and know that He hears us morning, noon and night!
We are just passing through this world!
Heaven is our REAL home!
As I shared those wonderful truths with you, I first reminded myself of them. Then I asked the Lord to sink them way down deep into my heart so the next time I find myself needing to wait or my mind beginning to wander, I can "whistle" instead of whining. I can "whistle" instead of worrying!
"A merry heart
maketh a
cheerful countenance."
Proverbs 15:13
Please join me in a little whistling, or better yet, let's call it what it really is, praising and worshiping our Saviour!
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May God Bless You,
Barb
Will Henning
May 30, 2018 at 8:51 amGreat post and great reminder. Thanks.
Barb
May 30, 2018 at 12:33 pmThanks, Will, for your words of encouragement! Praise God!
I appreciate you my friend in Christ!
Linda van der Merwe
May 30, 2018 at 8:57 amWhat a beautiful lesson, Barb. Thank you for a great reminder.
Lots of love,
Linda.
Barb
May 30, 2018 at 12:35 pmMy dear sweet friend, thank you so very much for your words of encouragement! Praise the Lord!
I love and appreciate you bunches!
Sending you many, many hugs across the miles ❤❤❤
Felicia Bernal
May 30, 2018 at 3:03 pmHi Barb,
I am a whistler at times. Very good post and reminder to go about my days immersed in spiritual songs and hymns to our Jesus. Thanks for being open and real too. Endears others to trust in the light that comes from you.
Barb
June 2, 2018 at 10:34 pmFelicia, thank you so very much for your words of encouragement. You are a great blessing to me my sweet friend!
Keep on whistler and shining your light for Jesus ❤