Never a challenging time?

As a christian, does it mean we’ll never go through a challenging time?

Find your answer after listening to the Faith Struggle (Sermon).

After listening to the sermon, I thanked God for the struggles which I persevered through in the past which made me a better and stronger person; however, I also asked for forgiveness for the struggles I cowardly escaped, eventually had to be disciplined and relearn them again in the future to come.

God will be leading us into these circumstances at certain point in our lives and I am expecting one to come when I take on my new job. Did I really choose this path? No, but the heavenly father chose it for me. I have to learn to be obedient and faithful.

2 Cor 12:9 My Grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

We are to rest and trust that God has brought us here and keep us here as long as He chooses and God will bring us out His own time, His own way.

The “Quit” antagonist

Don’t Quit (By Jill Wolf)

Don’t quit when the tide is lowest,

For it’s just about to turn;

Don’t quit over doubts and questions,

For there’s something you may learn.

Don’t quit when the night is darkest,

For it’s just a while ’til dawn;

Don’t quit when you have run the farthest,

For the race is almost won.

Don’t quit when the hill is steepest,

For your goal is almost nigh;

Don’t quit, for you are not a failure

Until you fail to try.

Not Quit (A clip from “Facing the Giants”)

Strength grows out of struggle

I’ll start this post with a short extract from Psalm 144, verses 1 & 2, followed by a short story titled – My father the wagon maker.

Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

My father the wagon maker

I lived in a piece of land in the forest, with trees and floral surrounding me. This piece of land which we resided, was cleared by my father - he was a wagon maker. And wagons he made were sold, and brought us the money, for bread, wheat, vegetables, and things we want.

It took some time to make good wagons though. My father would clear a piece of the forest, then leave a few oak trees standing in the open fields. They would be left in the sweltering hot sun during the day, and the foraying blasts of winds during the night. This would go on, days, months, and finally, a few would survived and emerged unscathed.

These were the resilient few my father used for wagons. He used to say: “The trees that strained against nature were far stronger and tougher than the protected oaks deep in the forest.” He would use them for the wagon wheels, bending them into arc-shaped segments, without fear that they would break, because, they had struggled and had grown strong enough to bear the heaviest loads.  

My friend, are you struggling now, in your spiritual walk, your studies/career, or in relationships with people? Have we already given up in our struggles; became like rivers, finding the least resistant paths to move forward, and in the process became crooked?

Let’s decide to be like the oak trees chosen by the wagon maker today.

At the end of the year, reflect – have you been the oak tree chosen by the wagon maker?