Attitude
Sometimes we all have to do stuff that we don’t want to do. That happened to me this week. I was assigned the task of calling parents who had kids with numerous absences to find out if they were having technical issues with being in their classes so we could help them if necessary. The list was ridiculously long, and I had to work on it by myself. I was supposed to call everyone on the list by the end of the day. Those facts did not help my attitude. It was an overwhelming task and not what I was wanting to do…which was help my teachers with tutoring kids.
So, I did my best to complete the task and do it cheerfully. A few parents hung up on me but most were grateful that they got the call and wanted to help their kids do well in school. One call however, stood out above the rest. After I identified who I was and why I was calling, the father of one child was explaining some of the things that were hindering his daughter being on line consistently. Much of it was technology…but then he dropped the bombshell. He confided in me that three days earlier his wife had a heart attack and was in the hospital. He knew this was weighing very heavy on his child.
Wow. I told him how sorry I was that he and his daughter were going through this. I asked how the wife was doing. She was stable but in observation to make sure she did not get worse. I asked how he and his daughter were holding up and he replied: “As well as can be expected under the circumstances.” I then asked him if I could pray for his wife and his family. He gave me permission and I proceeded to say a brief word of prayer for her full health to be returned and for God’s peace to cover all of them through this trial.
At the end of the prayer…in a broken voice, the father thanked me. It was an emotional moment for both of us. I hung up the phone and realized that I was given an assignment that was much bigger than just calling parents about absences. Had I not accepted the assignment, I would have missed the opportunity to bless this father who was in desperate need of encouragement. It is funny to me how life works and how God uses us in the most unlikely circumstances if we will just make ourselves available.
I still don’t like pounding the phone all day, but I now at least have a better understanding of why I needed to be there at that time and place. It is just a reminder to me that everyone has issues and everyone needs someone to lean on.
Shalom!
Daniel Skognes
Tags: #Attitude