Patient Endurance

"When you come to a mountain you can do one of two things: You can go around it or you can go over it. The first way is the easiest, but you'll miss the view from the top." (Quote from The Waltons)

There is a mountain of wisdom in that quote. I was watching an episode of The Waltons when the older brother (Jason) was giving this piece of advice to his younger brother (Jim Bob). The younger of the two was trying to avoid a path that his life was taking. The path he was avoiding would take him out of his comfort zone and prove to be challenging. It would have been so much easier to avoid the challenging path, but in the end he would not have discovered all that he could accomplish. He rose to the challenge and exceeded his own expectations--and that of friends and family.

Sometimes life gets tedious and sometimes it's treacherous.

The tedious path of life is often quiet. Those are the times when I'm just putting one foot in front of the other on level ground. For the most part it's not very exciting. It's often predictable, but it's safe.   

The treacherous path is challenging. Effort is required to take this path. I may stumble on this path, get out of breath, or look at what's ahead and just become flat-out intimidated. It's unpredictable. Safe?? Hard to say.

Both paths are profitable. The tedious path produces endurance so that we can go the distance. The treacherous path calls upon that endurance to help us climb that mountain. It also makes our senses more keen to notice the path we're walking on so that we're carefully climbing.

If we try to climb a mountain without putting in the endurance training, we might not make it up that mountain or be so incredibly worn out when we get there that we miss the view at the top. If we avoid climbing mountains altogether, we'll definitely miss the breathtaking view from the top.

Usually I'm writing about things I'm learning so why am I talking about mountains? Lately I've been on that predictable, sometimes tedious path. Each day looks about the same as the other--with a few exceptions here and there. It's pleasant, but I keep thinking there should be more.  Then I started getting the feeling that God has a mountain for me to climb. I wasn't ready for that mountain so I decided to keep circling it instead. However, the Lord patiently reminds me that I need to begin taking steps onto that mountain. Thankfully, I don't have to climb it all in one day. Just a little at a time.

The first way is the easiest, but I don't really want to miss the view from the top. And, as I've been constantly reminded lately... If God is leading, then He's also equipping.

"So do not throw away this 

confident trust in the Lord. 

Remember the great reward it brings you!  

Patient endurance is what you need now, 

so that you will continue to do God’s will. 

Then you will receive all that he has promised."

-Hebrews 10:35-36 

Don't Forget to Remember: Memorial Day

As I write this, I'm enjoying a day off from the usual routine--a day off from work. It's Memorial Day, a day that is often called the unofficial kick-off to summer. A day of picnics, barbecues, swimming, and other outdoor events (if weather cooperates). I'll confess that it's only been in the past few years that I really paid attention to the real meaning behind Memorial Day. I'm sure I had heard the meaning, but when you're young that sort of symbolism gets lost in the excitement of other things. I suppose as I've gotten older that I've really come to appreciate the true meaning behind things I used to take for granted, about life and death, and spiritual matters.

Because it is Memorial Day, I want to think about what this really means. Here's a definition of the word memorial:

memorial [mɪˈmɔːrɪəl]

adj

1. serving to preserve the memory of the dead or a past event

2. of or involving memory

n

1. something serving as a remembrance

2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a written statement of facts submitted to a government, authority, etc., in conjunction with a petition

3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) an informal diplomatic paper

 

[from Late Latin memoriāle a reminder, neuter of memoriālis belonging to remembrance]

(courtesy of thefreedictionary.com)


A memorial is simply a reminder. It's a way to preserve the past for those of us in the present and those in the future. Reminders are second-nature to all of us. We have sticky-notes that remind us of important memos. We have alarm clocks to wake us up or remind us of appointments. We have photographs of our friends and families that remind us of their faces or events.  We even have scars on our bodies that remind us of the time we fell down on the playground, wiped out on our bicycle, and even of an accident we'd rather not remember. These are everyday reminders or memorials. I bet you never thought of a scar as a memorial!

The Bible is full of memorials too. The Old Testament is full of these memorials. A memorial was errected whenever something significant happened in their lives. It was usually a reminder of God's provision and intervention in their lives. One such memorial is that set up by Joshua in chapter 4. Following the Israelites 40-year wandering in the desert, they entered the Promised Land, but had to cross the Jordan River. God provided a way across the river for them and verse 9 tells us that, "Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day."

As we celebrate this Memorial Day in the United States, we remember the sacrificies of men and women in the service of our country. We also remember the loved-ones they left behind. Enjoy the holiday, the day off, the picnics, but take a few moments to remember the sacrifices we so often take for granted.

Hope you have a safe and pleasant holiday.

Wordy Wednesday

Source

For those who may be new to this blog, on Wordy Wednesdays I like to allow God's Word to speak for itself instead of me doing the writing. Sometimes I only share scripture and other times I might write just a little to accompany it. This week I'd like to share just a little.

Watching the events that have happened in Oklahoma the past few days has been heart-wrenching. Television cannot do it justice. Our minds (at least my mind) has become so accustomed to seeing destruction on television and movies that we it's hard to grasp the reality of death and destruction. We tend to get a little numb to it. The moment that hit home with me was watching video of school children shortly after the tornado ravaged their school. Children were standing there in shock. Adults were doing the best they could to comfort all the children, but they were outnumbered. I saw one little boy, perhaps ten years old, standing alone and looking shocked and frightened. I'm sure he was trying to lay eyes on a familiar face. I wanted to reach through the television and hug that child.

Even when I feel like life isn't treating me well, when I feel all alone or lost, I know that the Lord will sustain me. He's here. He's ready to reach out and put comforting arms around me. I only need to acknowledge His presence and ask for help.

Tragedy has a way of putting things in perspective. May the Lord sustain us all during these rough days.

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;

you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
I cried out to the Lord,

and he answered me from his holy mountain. 

I lay down and slept,

yet I woke up in safety,

for the Lord was watching over me.
I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies

who surround me on every side.

  Psalm 3:3-6

Wordy Wednesday

I’ve loved you 
the way my Father 
has loved me. 

Make yourselves at home
in my love. 
If you keep my commands, 
you’ll remain intimately 
at home in my love. 

That’s what I’ve done—
kept my Father’s commands
and made myself at home
in his love.

John 15:9-10

These are the words of Jesus. There's no mistaking it. He loves me and you. Abide in Him and His love today.