I am a creature of habit. I like doing things the same way each week. I have certain tasks which have to be taken care of on specific days of the week. When something happens to my schedule, it just messes everything up. Usually when my schedule is messed up and I start getting frustrated, my wife starts calling out, “Monk!”

Last night at 11:30 p.m., I received a call from one of our deacons that the Fire Department had to make a trip to the church.  The high winds blowing through Tulsa had caused a couple of electric lines to touch and knock out our electricity.  The deacon had taken care of all the necessary procedures so I didn’t have to get out of bed, drive up to the church, and do it myself. However, when I arrived at work this morning, there was still a power outage.

We called the electric company, and they were working to get power restored. They told us it would take about two hours to get it fixed. They were quick to get someone out on site, and they knew exactly what was needed to fix the problem.  You could not ask for a better response time.

The problem with having to wait—I NEED ELECTRICITY! Without electricity I can’t use the internet, telephone, or computer.  Without electricity I was unable to work on my latest blog until 2:30 p.m. this afternoon (usually I am a few days ahead, but I had a Deacons’ Retreat this weekend and was too busy). Without electricity we didn’t have heat in the building, light in the bathroom, or a place for me to study for next Sunday.  The bottom line—Electricity is key to my life.

Regardless of how inconvenient today has been because of the power outage, it is still a first-world problem. I still had a warm, dry house to live in. My Tempurpedic bed is much better than sleeping on a dirt floor.  I did have to fight through traffic to get to work, but I didn’t have to worry about a tiger attacking me on my way. My life, inconvenience and all, is really very easy. There are times when work is stressful, marriage is frustrating, parenting is maddening, and the cell phone that I could easily turn off just won’t stop ringing.  However, none of those things are life threatening. When I clock out tonight I will go home to a very comfortable life. I thank God for the many comforts He has seen fit to provide for me in this life.

Maybe, just maybe, you are like me. You may have times when you jump on board the Waa-mbulace, take a spin around the city griping, complaining, and whining about how difficult life is treating you to anyone who will listen. If so, I encourage you to take a good look at your life and ask yourself, “Is this just a first-world problem?” I am ashamed to say my pity party was just me wanting everything to go my way. Once I saw my childish attitude, it was easy to fix. I am still half a day behind and will probably have to work extra late; however, I have job, a church family, a home, food in the pantry, and a wife and son that love me.  Life is good!