Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! It is my youngest Tender Warriors birthday today! Such a blessed day! I am truly excited to live this one fully! :)
Last week I was listening to a Christian radio station while working out. One of the things this radio station does is let people call in and say a prayer. On this particular morning they had a little boy, 6 or 7-years old, call in. His school district was having state testing and he wanted to say a prayer. The radio host asked him if he was excited for his test and he joyfully exclaimed, "Yes!" Somewhat shocked by the precious boys response the host asked, "Why are you so excited?' Without hesitation the little boy said, "Because my Mom said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The little boy then said one of the sweetest, thoughtful prayers I have ever heard.
Now, a couple of things:
1. If you have never had a child pray an earnest prayer over you let me simply say, "it hits different."
2. I have thought about that little boy, his eagerness to take his test, and about how most of us don't quite look at the test of life that way a lot this past week. My hope this morning is that perhaps we can shift our perspective when the tests of life come our way.
Now this first thing you might be thinking - or perhaps it was just me! :) - "yeah Kev, but this is just a little boy. His test is nothing compared to what I am facing." The Bible tells us some things about this....
"And said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3
"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." - Luke 18:17 This one really hit me. Please, read it again. "Receive the kingdom of God like a child.)
"And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." - (There it is again!) Mark 10: 13 - 16
Right about now wisdom is telling me that instead of rebuking or explaining away a child's faith, it would be good to learn from it! :)
So, being properly educated about what type of faith I should have, I am left with, "What is the problem?" Why do we go to such great lengths to avoid the challenges of life? O.K., maybe it is just me, but why? :) I mean, most of us aren't looking at this day, this season of life, and hope that we have some challenge to face or some trial to go through.
I found a great post by Pastor John van Gorkom that is very thought provoking. It was written on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 and the full article, titled Embrace the Test, can be found at lifelinkdevo.com. Here are a few excerpts from Pastor John's post:
"When I was in school, I loved tests. They were an opportunity for me to prove myself. They were a way in which I could qualify myself. I have since learned the terrible dysfunction of that. But nevertheless, I still love tests. Today, at my age, my favorite tests are difficult golf holes and fishing around a cold front. They still provide me opportunities to prove myself as well as improve myself and grow.
However, there are many tests that I hate. Financial loss is an unpleasant test. Pain and suffering are hardships we'd rather not endure. There are many such tests in multiple areas of our lives, and we tend to see them as an interruption to what we consider normal, so therefore we hate them.
However, tests are designed to prove us and improve us. Our insecurities may cause us to hate tests because we doubt we have anything to prove, or that we will be proven insufficient. Security embraces tests. Our pride may cause us to hate tests because we don't think we need to improve. Humility embraces tests."
"Life is filled with tests. The life that is filled with the Holy Spirit sees every test as a means by which God proves us and improves us."
He then shares James 1: 2 - 4
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
My whole hope here is that we will simply change our perspective, and therefore our attitude, about the challenges we face in life. That instead of running from them, instead of fearing them, we will embrace them, recognizing them for what they are - an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to become all that we are capable of becoming.
There are many different season of life - this is Biblical. There are times we will stand on mountain tops and there are times we will find ourselves in deep valley's. So as I have thought about that little boy, about the challenges we face in life, is it a coincidence that these lyrics from the Tauren Wells song, Hills and Valleys, have been on my mind all week, and that I have sung them repeatedly?!?! My Beautiful Bride can testify I have sung them over and over and I must say, I truly don't appreciate her commentary on my singing abilities! :)
"On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the One who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes
To the One who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain
I didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley
I know I am not alone!
If you have never listened to the song, I would strongly encourage you to do so. And of course, I would be happy to sing it to you though Kath would not recommend this option for you! :)
I want to close by sharing a couple of quotes/thoughts with you that I came across this week:
"Champions always want to be challenged.
Many times, one does not know how much is within until an unexpected challenge arises.
When one can overcome this, the satisfaction is even greater.
So, enjoy being tested and up against the odds." - Dr. Jim Afrenow
"God has something great for you but you must take action with faith and go through the battle to seize it. It's never going to be easy. It's not supposed to be. The struggle builds character, fosters humility, develops your strength and makes you appreciate the journey." - Jon Gordon
"Stop trying to skip the struggle.
That's where character is built.
Embrace it.
Learn from it.
Grow from it." - Unknown
Our lives have great value, meaning, and purpose. We have to go through - the way of the buffalo! - the challenges to develop into all we were created to become, and perhaps, to find out who we really are. And please never forget, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well.
Kev
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