Friday; March 16


A few days ago a friend of mine sent me a quote that is quite insightful.  I wish I knew who originally penned the thought in this form because I would love to give them the credit; however, for now, all I can to is share their wisdom: “Problems develop our perseverance – which in turn will strengthen our character, deepen our trust in God, and give us greater confidence about the future. Thank God for those opportunities to grow”.  As I pondered this thought my mind raced to the lessons of nature.  It is said that the struggle of a butterfly to get out of the cocoon is what gives it the strength to be able to fly.  Scientists tell us that the exhausting effort it takes for a fledgling sea turtle to break their shell, dig out the sand and waddle across the beach to the water is what allows them to be successful in the ocean.  On one hand it might seem logical that an easier path would create a better world for butterflies and turtles, but the only way they will be able to survive is by overcoming their physical challenges.  The same is true for humans.  An easy life might be – well, an easy life – but, what happens when we face struggles?  If we have never had to endure trying times, when they finally did happen (and they will) even a mild disappointment might overwhelm us.  Facing and conquering problems gives us the ability to grow.
I may not know who came up with the previous thought, but I know that an early Christian writer named James penned this, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”. (James 1:2-4)  We may not like having to face life’s difficulties, but if we are willing to keep pressing forward against resistance there is no telling how far we will be able to go.
Think about it!

Popular posts from this blog

Thursday; May 3

I have a fish tank that allows my three Bettas (Larry, Darrell and Darrell) to live in the same structure, but remain hidden from each other – well sort of.   When I go to feed the fish, I believe that one of the Darrell’s can sort of see that the other Darrell is getting fed and he will linger over on that side of the tank even after I put his food in his tank.   I have to tap on the side of the tank where his food is floating to help him refocus and eat.   I get the impression that he is so interested in what is going on in the other Darrell’s tank that he can’t enjoy his own food. I have been told that the brain of a fish is pretty small – which explains their inability to process “blessings”, but are we guilty of the same malady as Darrell?   Are we so worried (or consumed) by what happens to the people around us that we fail to realize what is going on with us?   Are we envious of the blessings that others are receiving and end up missing out on what we have been given?   Are w
Read more

Thursday; February 14

         While most of us are familiar with today being Valentine’s Day, there are some who actually refer to February 14 th as “St. Valentine’s Day”.  This title is often affixed to a criminally historic event known as “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” on February 14, 1929 in Chicago, but that is another story for another time.  Not knowing much about the history of “Saint Valentine” I did a little research and found out he was a Roman religious leader who was martyred in 269 AD.  According to my limited research Valentine was killed because of his encouragement of Roman men (especially soldiers) to marry which was in violation of Claudias’ edict that prohibited marriage to keep their minds singularly focused on their task of defending the Empire.  Somehow, from this beginning – and possibly embellished by Chaucer – St. Valentine became intertwined with the concept of romantic love.           I am not really sure how February 14 th became connected with love, but inspired by thi
Read more

Wednesday; December 6

What does it mean to be a leader? I subscribe to the belief that a leader is someone who seeks the best for others and works with them to achieve their potential. There are others; however, who define leadership as the ability to have a vision and the tenacity to get their own way. Leaders who are this way are often portrayed as having developed the maturity to manipulate people to do things their way. However, is the ability to drive people in our direction mature or is it childish? The Christians of the 1st Century came from a lot of different backgrounds and had to work hard to work together. As the Apostle Paul challenged Christians in the city of Ephesus he challenged them to accept individual differences, “… until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. “ (Ephesians 4:13). Bossiness was not to be viewed as a sign of maturity, a willingness to wo
Read more