Lord, please help me to change - Judith Couchman

WHF.N TH E INSID E SPILL S OU Tback on th e othe r side . Then h e looke d a t himsel f i nthe water again ."As I thought," h e said . "N o better fro m this side .But nobody minds. Nobody cares. Pathetic , that's wha tit is. "There wa s a crackling nois e i n th e bracke n behin dhim, and ou t came Pooh ."Good morning , Eeyore, " said Pooh ."Good morning , Poo h Bear, " said Eeyor e gloomily ."If i t is a good morning, " h e said . "Whic h I doubt, "said he ."Why, what's the matter? ""Nothing, Poo h Bear , nothing . W e can't all , an dsome o f us don't. That's al l there i s to it ."Can't al l ivhatT' said Pooh, rubbing hi s nose ."Gaiety. Song-and-dance . Her e w e go roun d th emulberry bush." 23Eeyore continue d hi s lament an d finall y admitted tha tnobody ha d remembere d hi s birthday. To compensate, th e don -key threw a pit y part y b y himself. Poo h Bear , i n turn , trie d t omake th e donkey happy .The stor y struck a n uneas y chord .Lately, I had bee n feelin g sorry for myself . Well, more lik ewallowing i n self-pity . Lif e was tumbling an d I had bee n grum -bling throug h th e days , blaming myself , pointing ou t m y faults,and insistin g thing s couldn't possibl y get better. ( I had eve n com -plained tha t some friends had forgotte n m y birthday! )I had bee n a real Eeyore .The simpl e stor y convicted me . And onc e again , Go d use dan as s to speak t o a stubborn child . (Se e Balaa m an d hi s donke yin Numbers 22:21-34. )df-pity smacks wit h ugliness . It' s demanding an d self -obsessed. I t sap s ou r spiri t an d relationships . Bu t it' stempting, particularl y when deeply-roote d problem s don't wan tto budge .When there' s proo f tha t we'r e pathetic , it' s a ripe tim e t ogrovel abou t ourselves . Instead , Go d want s u s t o giv e thanks ."Always b e joyful. Pra y continually, an d giv e thank s whateve r