Friday; March 22

When I was a youngster, I liked to go fishing. Let me reiterate that fact that I liked fishing – the going part got a little tedious. Before we could go fishing we had to pack the sandwiches and the cooler (because there wasn’t a McDonalds on every lakeshore) … we had to fill the car with the tackle we needed … if we were lucky enough to be taking a boat, we had to load it and gas it up … we had to stop and get bait … and if it was the first trip of the season, we may have to stop and pick up a license. It seemed like “going fishing” took a lot of the fun and excitement out of the fishing. Yet, without all the preparations, we wouldn’t be able to be successful.

Now, you might be wondering what this analogy has to do with this life – well, that’s exactly what I am talking about. Most of us would love to be successful in life, but we don’t necessarily want to invest in the things that make us successful. Take the noble task of helping people. Most of us like to assist people in overcoming their problems, but the pathway that leads us to that goal can be convoluted. It may involve training, insight, practice and persistence. The quest that brings us to helping others may take us through churches, inner cities, struggles, halfway houses and failures. Wouldn’t it be a lot more fun if we could just go from discovery to accomplishment without all the effort in between? The problem is that life doesn’t necessarily work that way. It’s often the steps that makes success happen.

Let’s not lose sight of the goal – even as we prepare. Who knows, when we keep a positive attitude, maybe we can even enjoy the trip as much as the triumph.

Think About It!

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