Can you find blessings in unfortunate circumstances?

Okay....This will seem like an odd praise so bear with me.

Yesterday I lost my ipod on the way to work and it was very distracting for me. I love that thing as on the way home from work I use it to listen to messages and Christian radio broadcasts. It has been a great learning time for me and I have loved it.

Some of the things that I have been listening to is about loving the unlovely, loving difficult neighbors, etc.

I retraced all my steps yesterday to see if I could find it and it was no where. I had resolved myself that I would not find it so started to check out eBay as I wanted to see what the replacement value would be.

After a while I just gave it to God and asked Him what he wanted me to learn in the whole thing.

Another thing for you to know is that I have been praying for my neighbors that are just so difficult. I have been asking God to help me deal with it and give me another opportunity to try to be friendly with them and build some kind of positive relationship.

Well, I was sitting at home when my doorbell rang and it was my neighbor that seems to really hate me. I was running through my mind what I might have done wrong now as there are always issues and I just don't seem to live to the expectations they have. I pushed that from my head and tried to be positive.

He holds out my ipod and tells me he saw it in my driveway and knew it would not be there when I got home and he knew they were expensive. He told me he even found out how to make it work and was listening to some of my Kenny Chesney.

I thanked him profusely and then he left.

After he was gone I just sat there thanking God for the opportunity. As irritating and critical as they have been, there are some positives of them watching my every move. They watch my back in an odd fashion and there is safety in that.

I also realized that God has provided me an opportunity to make some cookies and deliver a thank you note to them and hopefully start building a relationship. I also realize that I need to work harder to make the front of my house as desirable as they would like to see. I had plan on doing a lot of outside and yard work this year as there are things I want to do and really hope my basement is at a finished status...

so...That is the story in my life that allowed an unfortunate thing to happen that had an opportunity to have a very positive affect on others.

I pray that God will use me to build a relationship and maybe show them Jesus.