Courage For Today

school

You Can Pass the Test

Faith

“And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test ”  2 Corinthians 13:6

Years ago, I was finally preparing to graduate from College.  For me, more than others, it was a big deal.  I had attended College in my late teens and early twenties, but never graduated.  At that season of my life, I was forced to drop out of school in order to work full-time and take care of our young children.  Decades later, now In my mid-fifties, I decided to go back to school and complete my degree.  It was an accomplishment I wanted to check off of my “bucket list” and be able to say, “I finished.”

Here I was all those years later, finally at the point where my diploma was within sight.  All that stood before me was one final exam——an exam that I didn’t feel ready for and wasn’t ready to take.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice.  I prepared and studied as best as I could, but deep down inside, I was worried.  What if all those years of waiting to get a diploma were blocked by not passing this final exam?  What would I do?  All those years of studying would be all for nothing.

The final day before the exam, I was literally a basket case.  Years and years of prep all came down to one test.  I went into the exam time and did the best I could and prayed for the best.  The next day, after what seemed to be an eternity, I received a passing grade.  Finally, some 30 years after I originally attended College, I could proudly say I was a College graduate.  What a great feeling!!

As I thought about this special time of my life, I realized that God had uniquely prepared me for this time.  God knew I wasn’t ready for College at the time I originally attended.  Instead, he matured me and grew me and helped me attend College at a later time in my life when I was better prepared.  My entire adult life, I felt that not obtaining a degree in my twenties meant that I was a failure.  What God showed me was that I was always a College Graduate; it was just not my time until later in life.  God knew that I would not have been ready when I thought I was ready.

Maybe there is something in life that has alluded you.  Maybe you haven’t achieved all that you seek.  Whatever you may be going through in life now, realize that your life experiences have prepared you for this moment.  If life does not seem like it is going as it should, remind yourself that you have been prepared by Almighty God to eventually pass your test.  As with me, passing your test may not occur on your time-table, but God’s time-table is always best.  Be patient and don’t lose faith; your graduation day will come.

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Walls in Our Lives Don’t Have To Be Barriers

Strength

I never cared for Physical Education classes when I was in High School.  I loved to play baseball and basketball, but I was not what you would consider athletic by any stretch of the imagination.  I think because P.E. wasn’t “fun” to me.  We were constantly running, jumping, or exercising of some type.  I really thought it was a waste of my time.  I spent most of my time during those classes day dreaming about other things and wishing I was somewhere else at the time.  Perhaps if I had been a star High School Football or Basketball Player things might have been different, but there was never any danger of that happening so it was agony for me each day of P.E. class.

I remember one particular class we were scheduled to be visited by a “special exercise guest.”  You just can’t get much more exciting than that.  I just knew that we were finally going to do something fun or meet some famous athlete.  We made our way from the P.E. Locker room and arrived out on the ball field only to be greeted by a local ROTC Drill Sergeant standing in front of a wooden wall with a rope hanging from the top.  You’ve seen them in movies involving soldiers and their training.  The goal is to run towards the wall; grab the rope; and pull yourself and climb up the wall and over.  My excitement turned to horror.  I knew my turn was coming and I would have to attempt the wall but, at that moment, I would have rather gone to the Dentist.  I knew I couldn’t climb that wall.  I could barely do pull-ups on the high bar, much less climb a wall while holding a rope.  Sure enough, my turn came.  I ran.  I pulled.  I climbed.  I fell.  Just as predicted.

I tried and tried over and over and just couldn’t make it.  After about 5 or 6 attempts, our guest Drill Sergeant pulled me aside and told me he had faith I could make it.  He told me that he was going to climb from the back of the wall, reach over the wall and be in position to grab my hand as I approached the wall.  Instead of using the rope, I was to jump and grab his hand and let him basically pull me up the wall.

After a few deep breaths, I ran as fast as I could toward the wall, jumped up toward the Sargent’s hand and somehow managed to almost reach the top of the wall.  Instead of grabbing his arm, I took hold of the rope, reached the remaining short distance to the top of the wall, threw my leg over the top, and landed on the other side—–just like I was supposed to do.  I don’t know how I did it, but there was something about just knowing that the Sergeant was there for support that increased my confidence to the point that I ended up not needing any assistance afterall.  I realized that his mere presence and encouragement was enough to make me successful.

What a wonderful Christian lesson I learned that day.  Even though I may not physically see God, I know that HE is part of my life.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that HE is there to reach out His arms to me for support.  I know that HE is there to wrap His loving arms around me when I need it most.  I know that HE is there to encourage me and help me overcome the barriers in my life.  Whatever barriers I have faced in life, I’ve learned that God is there to help me climb the wall and conquer the barrier.  I’m never climbing alone.

Are you facing walls and barriers in your own life?  If so, I would encourage you to approach those barriers with confidence and strength and remember that God is already there waiting for you during the journey and at the finish line with open arms.

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The Three R’s of Christian Living

Strength

The other day, I was watching an old episode of “Little House on the Prairie” with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert.  All the children were at the one-room schoolhouse and were getting ready to do their studies for the day.  In those days, school work was concentrated in three main subjects:  Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, or the Three R’s as it’s been come to know over the years.  By looking at current school curriculum, I’m wondering if we don’t need to go back to the Three R’s in modern day schools, but that’s a story for another day.

As I was watching this episode of Little House about the Three R’s of education at that time, it reminded me of the “Three R’s of Christian Living” that I had written in my Bible years ago, I don’t even remember when.  These “Christian Three R’s” are challenges to each of us to lead our lives, with God’s strength and guidance, in a manner befitting a Christian.

The First “R” is to Reflect Commitment in all you do.  I could spend all day talking about commitment, or lack of commitment, but there is nothing more harmful to a non-christian than watching a professed Christian be non-committal.  This commitment transcends all areas of your life.  When you commit to a job; do it.  When you commit to a marriage; keep it.  When you commit to helping a friend in need; help.  When you give someone your word; don’t break it.  This world is full of people that say one thing, but in a crunch, do the opposite.  As a Christian, we should always Reflect Commitment in everything we do and it should be noticeable by everyone that crosses our path.

The Second “R” is Remain Constant in your testimony.  Speaking for myself, there’s nothing worse to me than someone who claims to be a Christian, but only acts like a Christian on Sundays.  When we accept Christ as our Savior, I believe we become a “new person in Christ.”  We should be different, for the better.  We should never act one way at work; one way at home; and still another way on Sunday. Your testimony and your witness should always be consistent.  When someone speaks to you or sees you, your testimony should be the same no matter the location.

The Third “R” is to Remember  Compassion with other people.  Christ called upon each of us as Christians to be different and to be a light unto this World, but he didn’t call upon us to be better than anyone else.  Before I accepted Christ as a teenager, I was sinful and lost and Christ met me where I was, through other people.  Had those other people been arrogant or acted as if they were better than me, I wouldn’t have accepted Christ.  Instead, they showed me that Christ died for all of us, no matter where we are in life.  Remember this, as you interact with others, that the compassion you show for another person is simply an extension of Christ’s compassion toward you.

It was a good reminder for me to remember the Three R’s of Christian Living:  Reflect Commitment; Remain Constant; and Remember Compassion.  Where are you today in your Christian Walk?  Is it time for you to go back to school?

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Your Legacy For a Lifetime

Self-Worth

I never cared much for History during High School and College, but over the years I’ve learned to be a student of History.  In my school years, I never saw much relevance in learning about Revolutions and Kings and Conquests, but old age has a way of mellowing us and giving us a new perspective in life.

There is really so much to learn when reading various biographies.  You learn about the person’s childhood and upbringing; their family life and schooling; and you learn about how they were placed in certain circumstances at certain times for certain actions. You learn about how they handled adversity and how their lives affected others.  History is full of stories both positive and negative; both tragic and inspiring.

Each of these historical figures has a legacy or a reputation.  Mention any historical figure and I would imagine that you immediately conjure up some image or picture of that person, good or bad.  As Christians, we’re charged with being the light of the World.  When we accept Christ as our Savior, we become “new” in HIM.  We are to lead our lives in such a way that others will see something different. The way we lead our lives should draw others to Christ.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is this:  we all influence others.  Whether that influence is good or bad is up to us.  My challenge for you is to lead your life in such a way that others will say they’re a better person for having known you.

When your name is mentioned to others, what will be your Legacy?

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A Parade of Champions

Self-Worth

This trip to my grandmother’s small, middle Georgia Town was supposed to be highlighted by something special this time.  At this particular time, my grandmother was the Mayor of the small town, which is another story in and of itself.  She had invited my parents and all of us to make a visit on this particular day because the Town was going to have a special Founder’s Day Parade.  We were told it was going to be a spectacular event with Marching Bands from the local High School; Fire Trucks and Police Cars from the area; winners of local beauty pageants; and of course the mandatory politicians of which my grandmother, the Mayor, was front and center.

When it was time for the parade, we lined the busy streets of the town anxiously awaiting the parade.  Afterall, this was a town of less than 400 people so we wanted to get there early to be able to get a good viewing place on the street.  I think I had seen more people at the buildings where I worked in Atlanta than were in the town that day, but it was interesting nonetheless.

After a few moments, you could hear the start of the parade with the sirens blasting from the one Fire Truck and one police car that protected the town.  Then came the local High School Marching band which had obviously purchased new uniforms. They actually played terribly but that didn’t seem to matter. Then, of course, came all the politicians led by my grandmother, all doing the proverbial waves to the crowds.  After what seemed only 10 or 15 minutes the parade was over.

What impressed me at the time was not the skill of the musicians in the band, or the fact the police and fire truck were not the latest models.  It wasn’t that the politicians and others in the parade waved to the crowds any better than anyone else I had ever seen in parades.  There was something different with the  group.  I think it was the pride and confidence of who they were that more than made up for what they lacked in resources.  They didn’t care one little bit that I thought they were less than spectacular.  They didn’t have the money of big city budgets.  They didn’t have the latest equipment.  They didn’t have the best of anything; in fact, you could argue that they probably had the worst of everything.  Yet, that didn’t seem to matter.  They were making the best impression they could (and a strong impression) despite what we would view as limitations.

I’ve used this lesson often in my Christian life.  There have been times that I wouldn’t witness to someone because I didn’t think I knew enough about the bible.  There were times I wouldn’t stand up for my Christian faith because I didn’t think I was a “polished” enough Christian to make the impression I wanted to make.  There have been times in which I was ashamed to admit I was a Christian because my clothes were not the best and I was ashamed of what people may have thought.

As Christians, we have all that we need to make a powerful witness to others.  What we have comes from our relationship with Christ and how we exhibit that relationship to others.  It doesn’t come from what we wear; where we live; or that we don’t have the latest and greatest Christian witnessing tools that are available.  Those in the World that are not Christian want to see Christians that are real.

Those that were in my grandmothers Founders Day parade were real.  That’s what made the impression on me and that is what others will see in your life, it you will just allow that to happen.

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