How Many Stars?

Photo Credit:  kandi from morgueFile.com

Over the weekend, I was looking online to book a hotel for a trip we’re planning in March.  I entered the city, dates, number of people and ages, and then it asked for some additional search criteria…star rating preference.  Hmmm…how many stars?  I decided not to enter a star preference just to see what came up.  Here’s where the fun began.

To top off the excitement, I decided to sort by price…lowest to highest.  So, a little 1-star jewel popped up for only 27 bucks a night.  Wow!  Out of curiosity, I decided to read the reviews on this charm.  What does a $27/night hotel have to offer?  Well, at the very least, the following reviews provided my husband and me with an incredible amount of laughter…so much so that I almost fell out of my chair with tears rolling down my cheeks.  Let me share a few of the highlights so that you can giggle in disbelief too:

“They need to tear this place down because it’s unfit to stay.  Take it from me and I’m not picky at all.  There are many guests - cockroaches, rats, and cats to name a few.  The shower didn't work and the floors and walls were filthy.  I would never recommend this place to anyone.  It doesn't even deserve a star.  Whatever you do, do not stay here…RUN, RUN, RUN!  Did I mention cockroaches?   There were no bath towels and we even found bed bugs on our night clothing.  We felt unsafe.  We chose to sleep in our car in a supermarket parking lot until we found another hotel.  It was that bad!  There was dog poop at the entrance of the lobby.  This was the most disgusting place I have ever walked into in my life. It looked like someone had been murdered in the bathtub.  The room reeked of old smoke, so thick that you couldn't breathe. The kitchen was dirty and the walls were yellow and sticky from the smoke. I was afraid to sit down in the place.  I walked in and left 5 minutes later.  Did someone die in here?  You better lock your car and sleep with a weapon. There was one towel in the bathroom and it was paper thin.  The TV didn't work at all.  The door wouldn't close unless you channeled your inner Hulk and slammed it as hard as you could.  It’s so noisy everywhere.  If sleeping at night really isn't your thing, then this is the place for you.  There’s tons of mold and the mattress had wires sticking out of it.  Our ceiling fan almost caught on fire and the elevator looked like a death trap.  The balconies are tilted down as if they're sinking and going to collapse.  Don’t even ask about the bedding.”

Seriously?!  Needless to say, we didn’t book there and I went ahead and revised my search with a star preference.

However, this experience did get me to thinking about star-ratings.  All of us have 1-star days and 5-star days.  Most of the time, our days fall somewhere in between there, don’t they?  There are days when everything seems to be going right and then there are those days when nothing seems to be going our way.  Many things can influence our day’s star-rating like our health, jobs, friends, family, relationships, finances, weather, successes or failures, missing someone, sleep, exercise, etc.  The list goes on and on.

How can we boost our 1-star days into another category?  Not always, but many times, it is mind over matter.  Our thoughts can determine our day’s star rating.  What are we thinking about and how are we thinking?  Is our focus on the good or the bad?  Are we counting blessings or burdens?  Are we turning to prayer?

I recently received this great set of questions from Jesus that Mikey sent in an e-mail.  They helped me to put a few things into perspective when I’m having a 1-star day:

QUESTIONS FROM JESUS
If you never felt pain, then how would you know that I am a healer?
If you never had to pray, how would you know that I am a deliverer?
If you never had a trial, how could you call yourself an overcomer?
If you never felt sadness, how would you know that I am a comforter?
If you never made a mistake, how would you know that I am a forgiver?

If you never were broken, then how would you know that I can make you whole?
If you never had any suffering, then how would you know what I went through?
If you never went through the fire, then how would you become pure?
If I never corrected you, how would you know that I love you?
If you had all power, then how would you learn to depend on me?
If your life was perfect, then what would you need me for?

Love,
Jesus

I absolutely loved these reflective questions…even more than the hilarious roach-motel-reviews.  I hope you’ll join me in attempting to improve our 1-star days by trying our best at a 5-star attitude.

So….how many stars for today? 

Want some great news?  You get to choose.

Have a wonderful day, Sunshines!