The Necessity of "Perspective

"I never want to be limited by what already exists.  I aspire to pursue what should be."  Obi-Wan Bald Guy

Several months have passed since the fire.  Not a day goes by without some thought or emotion reminding me that life is not the same.  I understand how fortunate I am… I have my family and health.  I get it.  However, it also is frustrating to manage the emotions of loss.  I know that it was just stuff, but that “stuff” represented over a decade of hard work and more importantly, security.

You see, the one fear that I had as a small business owner was not being able to provide for my family.  Well, the fear that I had turned into a reality, and now, to be honest, that reality isn’t all that bad.

Why?  Because of what I am calling “perspective”

Let me explain….

August 13, 2016.  Time 6:00 AM.

I was moving slower than usual to get to work.  Fridays always turned out to be one of those really long days as we usually were finishing up wholesale roasting, shipping online orders, and preparing for the Watauga County Farmers Market.

As I was getting ready, she calls that there is a fire in Valle Crucis and it looks bad.  Immediately my gut turned into a giant knot when Shannon informed me that it was next door to the Valle Crucis School.

I turned on my phone, and my fears where confirmed when several friends texted or called wondering if I was ok, as everyone knew we go to work pretty early (I know it is hard to believe this, but Matt and i actually worked a lot...it was just while you were sleeping).

As I prepared to leave the house, Shannon called out:  “Be careful of what you say…you will have a wonderful opportunity to be a light in a dark place”.

Usually I hear God speak when I’m outdoors.  But on that day, He spoke through my wife.   I prayed that I would indeed be a light.  Little did I know how hard that was going to be.

Perspective was born driving towards a life that I once had.  It was hardened through the crucible of fire, buoyed by faith, and strengthened by hope.

Cheers!