Why me? A contest.

I like to talk. When we're having group discussions, I join in. If a speaker asks for comments or questions, I usually have some. If they need a volunteer to share their testimony, my hand goes up. So it only follows that when the local radio station asks for callers, I call in. After all, I get to talk on the radio!! Last summer I answered a trivia question correctly and won some free coffee! Double blessing; coffee and air time. The second time I was on, they were asking people to describe a superhero. I came up with Wo-Man, who can take care of the kids, fix your breakfast, and stop crime all at the same time. Since I pronounced it "Whoa-Man" the male host never figured out my little play on words (remember that joke, "What did Adam say when he first saw Eve? Whoa-man) so it wasn't as funny as I had hoped but still... I was on the air! The third time they needed some answers to Bible trivia. The question was, name two books of the Bible that start with "Z". Zephaniah and Zachariah. Woo-Hoo! I win again. Although this time I only got the joy of answering correctly and impressing my kids, because there wasn't any prize. This morning was different though. There was a prize and it was a big one. Three sets of tickets to a couple concerts and a fun speaker: Anita Renfroe, Shawn McDonald, and Newsboys. All I had to do was talk for more than 20 seconds without pausing or saying "um" or "uh". Excuse me, do you know who you're dealing with here? Why even bother giving me the topic, you may as well just hand over the tickets. Well, I had to fulfill the task so they gave me the topic: Lifesavers. No problem! I began discussing the little candies, fruit flavored or peppermint, and then I segwayed to the preserver variety of life savers used around water and then I decided to discuss the people that actually do the life saving; firefighters and paramedics. I had more but they cut me off. We have a winner!!!

Have you ever wondered "Why me?" when something's gone wrong? I think we all have, but do we think to ask, "Why me?" when we're experiencing great blessing? One "why me" is the door to despair, a complaint, and a proclamation that life is not fair and I didn't get what I deserve. The other type of "why me" is the door to gratitude, a praise, and also a proclamation that life is not fair and I didn't get what I deserve, I got something better! But aren't both doors always present in any given circumstance? There are always things to praise God for (my heart is beating, the sun is out, the car started, my shoes fit, I have a coat) and there are always things I can choose to complain about, usually in comparison to someone else who "has it so much better." The temptation of those "why me's" come so easily that I won't even give you any examples. Well, this morning I had a choice to make about my response to my circumstances. You see, when I picked up the treasured tickets I won from the radio program, the first thing I did was read the dates so I could get them on the calendar. The first one was Anita Renfroe, April 12th. What? That's the day of the out-of-state wedding we're attending. The second one, Shawn McDonald, April 19th. What, what? That's the weekend I'm attending Women of Faith in Spokane. The last one, Newsboys, May 1st. Will we even be living here? I finally win something great and I can't even use one ticket. Why me? Now I'll just have to give them away or maybe I can sell them on Craig's List for a couple of bucks and go buy a latte. But wait a minute... (hear the click of one door closing and the opening of the other) seriously, why me? Why have I, of all people, been given the wonderful opportunity to bless other people with some great concert tickets? What joy!! How blessed I am to have this privilege and all it cost me was a 20 second monologue about Lifesavers! Thank you Lord for the joy I will experience in giving these away and for someone else's joy that I will get to be apart of.
So you may have noticed the title of this blog mentioned a contest. I thought it would be fun to hear from you some of your "Why me?" comments. (Please remember to choose your door carefully, I'm looking for the one of praise). The best "Why me?" commenter will be given the tickets of their choice. I will decide on the winner on Monday, April 7th so there isn't much time. Pass this link along to your friends, perhaps you'll even have the chance to connect them with a blessing. If you live too far away to attend one of the concerts, still give us your best "Why me?" if for no other reason than it will bless me to read about your blessings!

To post a "Why me?" simply click the COMMENT button then make sure you choose to post with your name so I can announce the winner. Better yet, if you are a blogger, post with your blog name so other people can check your site out.