Beauty for cigarette ashes

It has been too long since my last blog entry.  During the past few weeks, I have experienced some rather challenging trials and temptations and by the grace of God I stand.  The Lord has led me out of Connecticut for the weekend.  And in the past 24 hours, the Lord has been showing pieces of His character to me in typical "True Story" fashion.

I recall one of my first blog entries entitled, "Lord, give me a Lincoln."  Similar to my friend Drew's experience, Jesus gave me a Jacuzzi and king-sized bed.  I was sitting in my hotel room when a faint smell of cigarette smoke  permeated my room.  Suddenly, the smell was intense and I was coughing.  While at one point in my life I embraced the smell of cigarettes, now it flares up my asthma and irritates my allergies pretty severely.  Concerned for my health and my voice (if I can't sing or speak, I'm kind of in a load of trouble), I contacted the hotel front desk.  The woman told she would be right up, but never came.  I was tempted to become angry, but God granted me strength to see this as an opportunity to allow Him to work.  I prayed that He would grant me peace and that He would protect my health.

After waiting for about 25 minutes, I went back downstairs to the front desk and waited until a staff member came up with me.  I learned a while ago that if I want people to move quickly, hang around and stare at them so that the person wants me to go away.  I have never really seen this plan fail, but it does annoy the garbage out of customer service associates.  After about five minutes of staring and pacing, a gentlemen came up to my room and sprayed some smoke eliminator spray in the room.  Not quite the solution I was expecting, but I thought we would give it a try.  During this time, I learned that if one mixes airborne chemical solutions with cigarette smoke, asthma likes that even less.  Now I was breathing in flavored secondhand smoke.  And while hookah is quite the passing fancy, I planned to have both lungs fully functioning in the morning.  I hate to make a fuss, but Lauren reminded me that I paid full price for my non-smoking room so I should get full service.  (Thanks, Lauren.)

I went down to the front desk, asked for a room change and the staff did so without an issue.  I was given a room two floors away, where the air quality was a bit better and not tinged with the smell of Marlboro Floral Lights.  I walked into the room to find a king sized bed, a Jacuzzi and my own little suite with marble counter tops (well, maybe not real marble but it looks fancy).  I had received an upgrade of sorts, a promotion to a better resting place.  I laughed (and coughed) when I entered my new room.  The more I learn about God's sense of humor and character, the more I trust Him.  Of course He would give me my own suite.  He loves me.

I find this all to be ironic.  When I was originally making reservations, I nearly paid significantly more for a luxury suite to "treat myself."  I thought, "Gee, I sure do deserve a break for all the hard work I do."  Dave Ramsey's voice echoed in my mind that I need to live like no one else is living now so I can live like no one else is living later.  So I reserved the standard full sized bed at a Holiday Inn Express, though with a bit of hesitation.  And in the end of it all, Jesus granted me the desires of my heart.

Psalm 37:4 tells us to delight in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts.  My problem is that when I read that verse, I want it without adversity, trial or battle.  Yet we cannot have a victory if there is not a battle.  There can only be a victory if defeat was once a possibility.   Endure some cigarette smoke and some industrial Febreeze in our lives and we will see what God gives us.  Paul was not lying when he wrote that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  He really does exchange His beauty for our ashes.  True story.