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"Problems never leave you where you started." When Sam said those words, they seemed obvious. But afterward I thought of the implications of his statement. We face problems daily. We overcome most of them, stumble over a few, and lose an occasional battle.
Some individuals see hardships as the pressures and evils of life stalking them. "The devil has been after me all week," they say. "Everything went wrong yesterday," another says.
For years I thought of problems as interruptions in my otherwise happy life. I wonder how many times I've prayed for them to go away. During the past few years, however, I've been able to take a different view.
Instead of ranting, what if we accepted the struggles as divinely appointed lessons for our growth? (That's true anyway.) Our responses to those trials shape our lives. Because of them, we can become better, stronger, and more spiritual people when we endure hardships and setbacks. For years, I've known the truth mentally, but sometimes it takes a while for knowledge to catch up with experience.
These thoughts came about because of something Helena Smrcek said last week as she drove me to the Toronto airport. She knows about my childhood and asked how I could be the kind of person I am after having such a traumatic background. "It's called grace," I said.
Afterward I thought about my past. I realize that I am who I am today because of those problems and not in spite of them. I've learned to understand others' pain, rejection, discouragement, and abuse. I understand because I've experienced similar issues and allowed them to shape my life. Because of God's grace I'm a better person for those experiences.
You're right, Sam, problems never leave us where we started.
Some individuals see hardships as the pressures and evils of life stalking them. "The devil has been after me all week," they say. "Everything went wrong yesterday," another says.
For years I thought of problems as interruptions in my otherwise happy life. I wonder how many times I've prayed for them to go away. During the past few years, however, I've been able to take a different view.
Instead of ranting, what if we accepted the struggles as divinely appointed lessons for our growth? (That's true anyway.) Our responses to those trials shape our lives. Because of them, we can become better, stronger, and more spiritual people when we endure hardships and setbacks. For years, I've known the truth mentally, but sometimes it takes a while for knowledge to catch up with experience.
These thoughts came about because of something Helena Smrcek said last week as she drove me to the Toronto airport. She knows about my childhood and asked how I could be the kind of person I am after having such a traumatic background. "It's called grace," I said.
Afterward I thought about my past. I realize that I am who I am today because of those problems and not in spite of them. I've learned to understand others' pain, rejection, discouragement, and abuse. I understand because I've experienced similar issues and allowed them to shape my life. Because of God's grace I'm a better person for those experiences.
You're right, Sam, problems never leave us where we started.
THE MAN BEHIND THE WORDS by Cecil Murphey © 2008. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).
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