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There isn't a person in this world who has gone through life trouble-free.
We have all faced setbacks, failures, trials, heartaches and discouraging
moments in life. We have all felt like giving up at one moment or another
because the burden we carried was so heavy, but when we allowed time to
distance us from those situations, we came out of them better, stronger
and wiser than we ever thought we could be. The tough times served a
great purpose for our life. They made us stronger than we were before,
they gave us a resolve to continue on no matter how bleak a situation may
seem and those tough times gave us a backbone of steel showing us that we
can stand up to anything that comes our way. When we are in the midst of
the storm, we find ourselves miserable, discouraged and we don't see a way
out, but in time we will be thankful for the storm because it made us
stronger than we were before.
I encourage you to keep a proper perspective when you're going through the
tough times. Know that the tough times will not last, but the lessons you
learn because of them will last you a lifetime. See the strength that you
possess because of the trials that you've been through. See the wisdom
that you've attained because of that heartache. See how you have grown in
patience, see how you have become better because you persevered. Allow
the tough times that you went through to lead you to even greater heights.
When we allow ourselves to become better and not bitter, we can use what
we've learned in extraordinary ways. We will not fear, we will not become
discouraged and we will not waver no matter what comes our way. We will
have learned from the past and we will use our newly found wisdom for our
betterment and for the betterment of those around us. I pray that you
will use every lesson that you have learned to make your life better this
day and every day thereafter.
I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to have a never give
up attitude and know that your perseverance will be a reward for you and
your future.
WE'RE STRONGER THAN WE THINK
A little boy went to the fair with his dad and saw an inflatable clown
sporting a sign that read, “Try to knock me down.” He hit it, he slapped
it, he pushed it – he struck it again and again, and the harder he hit,
the quicker it seemed to bounce back up. No matter how hard he tried, it
just would not stay down. His father watched as the boy punched the clown
until he finally interrupted and asked, “How is it possible for the clown
to keep standing back up, no matter how hard you hit it?”
The child scratched his head and said, “Dad, I think this clown is standing
up on the inside.”
Did you know that each of us has the ability to stand up on the inside?
Let me explain.
A magazine article told about a woman in rural Florida who was recuperating
from a lengthy illness. She enjoyed sitting on her front porch in her
wheelchair and, on this day, she watched her son repair his automobile. He
raised it on blocks of wood, removed the tires and slid on his back
underneath the vehicle.
Suddenly there was a loud crack and the automobile lurched to one side,
pinning the young man underneath. She screamed for her husband who ran to
assist, but he couldn't budge the car or the young man. He climbed into
his own vehicle and sped off for help.
The mother, who hadn't walked in months, realized that her son's groans
were growing fainter and she knew that it would be up to her to save the
boy. She sensed he was dying and that she had to act immediately.
She rose to her feet and walked on shaky legs to the car. Bracing herself,
she lifted. The car rose a few inches – just enough to let the boy scramble
free. Then she collapsed.
After a thorough examination, she was found only to have suffered strained
muscles. And the incredulous doctor's words were most telling: “I will
always wonder,” he said, “how far she might have lifted that car if she
had been well and strong.”
We've read similar stories about persons exhibiting almost super-human
strength in times of crises. Call it a miracle. Call it providence. Or
call it a physiological response to an adrenalin surge – this mother, and
others like her, found the strength she needed, when she needed it, to
face the crisis at hand.
And so it is with all of us. When life knocks us down and it seems
impossible to get back up, when life demands more from us than we are able
to give, then more than ever, we need to find a way to do what needs to be
done. It is at just these times that we come face to face with a reserve
of strength we never knew we had.
We are stronger than we think. Like the clown, we, too, have the ability
to bounce back. We have emotional, spiritual and even physical resources
at our disposal. We may get knocked down, but we don't have to stay down.
It's like standing up on the inside. And when we find strength to do that,
we will be able to stand up to most anything life throws our way.
By Steve Goodier
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it
might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for
thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest
upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I
am weak, then am I strong.”
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world
to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and
things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not,
to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His
presence.”
Psalm 18:30-33 “As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the LORD is
tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him. For who is God save
the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with
strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet,
and setteth me upon my high places.”
Psalm 28:6-8 “Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my
supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in
Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my
song will I praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving
strength of His anointed.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today's Selected Poem: WHEN JESUS LOOKS
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem54.htm
Today's Selected Testimony: OUT OF DARKNESS
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony103.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry |
