—Now, consider this
"Yesterday's just a memory; tomorrow's never what it's supposed to be."
Dear Partners in Missions—
I don't know about you, but some days just don't turnout like I think they should. Life if full of little annoyances, that's for sure! It's not those, however, that throw me for a loop, it's the big bad surprises. Like, sitting in a doctor's office, thumbing through an outdated Time magazine one minute, and in the next sitting across the doctor's desk and him gently breaking the news to you that you are full of cancer. Or picking up that annoying phone with a frame of mind to absolutely give that solicitor off, only to hear that one of your best friends has been killed in a car accident, or a relative has had a serious moral failure.
The truth of the matter is, however, we've all been there, and as Solomon said,
So, bank on it, bad things will happen. The real test for us as Christians is what do we do when bad things come our way? You've all heard the old cliché "If you are served lemons, make lemonade." Well, that's good advice, but you and I can just drink so much lemonade. After a while, we get tired of the stuff. What then?
Want the answer? Here it is, find out new ways you can use the lemons. You would be surprised at that number of things lemons are good for, but I'll not bore you with those details. I would rather talk about cow dung.
Cow dung? Yep, cow dung. Now, I'll tell you why. There was nothing I hated more, when I was a kid than to step in a pile of the stuff. I absolutely hated anything remotely connected with cow pens, milking and such—not that I did a whole lot of it, but when on the few occasions that I was asked to help, I went squealing.
So, imagine my surprise, and curiosity when I got to India and found out that cow dung was a precious commodity. Villagers use it to polish their dirt floors with; burn for fuel; fertilize crops with; insect repellent; insulation for their houses; as an antibaterial agent (believe it or not); as a matter of fact one blogger list 101 USES FOR COW DUNG. Yep, 101 uses.
So, what's the point? Simple this, "If life serves you up something as unpleasant as a pile of cow dung, then get busy figuring out what you are going to do with it. Because, there is a little bit of good in every bad thing that happens."
Why do I say this? I say this from experience, and experience has taught me that I can not let the bad things that happen to me define me. How do you think someone gets called an old grump? I'll tell you why, it is because he or she has allowed the bad things in life to define who he or she is. I've got to be honest with you, I never felt compelled to get up before a congregation and brag about the stupid things that I have done in life and top the sweet little testimony off with, "But, I am glad Jesus saved me from all of that!"
No, I don't have any deep dark secrets. Sure, I've lied before; and so have you. But, I am not going to let lying define me, I better than that. And, if I thought hard enough I could probably come up with some more petty—as the Catholics say, venial sins; but I refuse even to let those define me. So what am I saying? I am saying that none of these things define me, but what I do or did with them does.
Making a mistake can either define you, or make you a better man. The choice is yours. The same goes for the bad things that happen to you, too.
Remember, we're all on this journey together,
Jim
Bob Dylan
Dear Partners in Missions—
I don't know about you, but some days just don't turnout like I think they should. Life if full of little annoyances, that's for sure! It's not those, however, that throw me for a loop, it's the big bad surprises. Like, sitting in a doctor's office, thumbing through an outdated Time magazine one minute, and in the next sitting across the doctor's desk and him gently breaking the news to you that you are full of cancer. Or picking up that annoying phone with a frame of mind to absolutely give that solicitor off, only to hear that one of your best friends has been killed in a car accident, or a relative has had a serious moral failure.
The truth of the matter is, however, we've all been there, and as Solomon said,
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun. (Eccl. 1:9 NIV)
and there is nothing new under the sun. (Eccl. 1:9 NIV)
So, bank on it, bad things will happen. The real test for us as Christians is what do we do when bad things come our way? You've all heard the old cliché "If you are served lemons, make lemonade." Well, that's good advice, but you and I can just drink so much lemonade. After a while, we get tired of the stuff. What then?
Want the answer? Here it is, find out new ways you can use the lemons. You would be surprised at that number of things lemons are good for, but I'll not bore you with those details. I would rather talk about cow dung.
Cow dung? Yep, cow dung. Now, I'll tell you why. There was nothing I hated more, when I was a kid than to step in a pile of the stuff. I absolutely hated anything remotely connected with cow pens, milking and such—not that I did a whole lot of it, but when on the few occasions that I was asked to help, I went squealing.
So, imagine my surprise, and curiosity when I got to India and found out that cow dung was a precious commodity. Villagers use it to polish their dirt floors with; burn for fuel; fertilize crops with; insect repellent; insulation for their houses; as an antibaterial agent (believe it or not); as a matter of fact one blogger list 101 USES FOR COW DUNG. Yep, 101 uses.
So, what's the point? Simple this, "If life serves you up something as unpleasant as a pile of cow dung, then get busy figuring out what you are going to do with it. Because, there is a little bit of good in every bad thing that happens."
Why do I say this? I say this from experience, and experience has taught me that I can not let the bad things that happen to me define me. How do you think someone gets called an old grump? I'll tell you why, it is because he or she has allowed the bad things in life to define who he or she is. I've got to be honest with you, I never felt compelled to get up before a congregation and brag about the stupid things that I have done in life and top the sweet little testimony off with, "But, I am glad Jesus saved me from all of that!"
No, I don't have any deep dark secrets. Sure, I've lied before; and so have you. But, I am not going to let lying define me, I better than that. And, if I thought hard enough I could probably come up with some more petty—as the Catholics say, venial sins; but I refuse even to let those define me. So what am I saying? I am saying that none of these things define me, but what I do or did with them does.
Making a mistake can either define you, or make you a better man. The choice is yours. The same goes for the bad things that happen to you, too.
Remember, we're all on this journey together,
Jim
P. S. Several of my national friends from North East India would love to attend the Assemblies of God 100 Years Centennial Celebration that is scheduled for AUG 5-6, 2014, in Springfield, Missouri. Please pray for these men and if you wish to help let me know. Thanks!!
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