Skip to main content

Pricetags

                                                       




Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. ~ Thomas Edison  

I Love this quote, To me, it is a reminder that everything has a price tag;

At work, we may want a good paycheck, but we don’t want to work longer hours.

In sports, we may desire to play on a team, but we lack the desire to practice

Or in music, we may wish to be a Mozart, but lack the persistence it takes to become more than an enthusiast.

Likewise, we may want to paint like Rembrandt without putting in hours of learning and practice.

Our desire does not match our drive.   We all, at one time or another, have had things we wanted to do, but the desire did not consume us.  So at some point, we gave up the dream, the yearning.

Occasionally, this carries over into our spiritual life as well.
We want to be a strong Christian, forgetting that strength comes as a result of adversity, trials.  So when we face a “rough patch”, we back away and choose an easier path.

We hope to be close to God, lacking the enthusiasm to set time aside for God.  So we settle for 5 minutes before bed and wonder why God is distant.

I think of the story of Jacob.  He was on his way back to Canaan with all he had accumulated while working for Laban.  He feared his brother would kill him.  As he spent that night in the camp, in fear, unsure of the outcome, Jacob wrestled with a man.  He didn’t wrestle for five minutes or ten minutes or an hour but all night because he wanted a blessing.   Imagine wanting something so strongly that you would contend all night for it.  As I think of this, and the story Jesus told of a persistent widow, I realize how often I fall short.  I am not tenacious enough to keep coming back, to struggle all night.

I wonder how many times God wants to bless us, but he is waiting for us to contend with him.  Perhaps we miss great blessings because, like other things in life, they have a price tag.  My desire is to become firmer in my spiritual life.  
I don’t want to;

miss being close to God because it was hard,

or receiving God’s blessing because it didn’t happen right away

or lose out on becoming a strong Christian because it meant facing adversity.
Do you?  Don't let the price tag deter you.   
                                      

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Thank you God for Leading us

Thank you God for how you lead us. Like a shepherd leading his sheep. Sometimes through the words you spoke in the Bible, your written word. at other times, it was the wise words from friends,  coworkers,or neighbors spoken at just the right time. Still other times it was a gentle tug,   a whisper to our heart to move  in one direction or another;  intuition or a sixth sense that one   way or another was right or wrong    Yet, when I listened and obeyed   I found the way was clear, distinct and easy to follow. You never leave us to guess which way to go.                                                                                                      ...

Grow Old Gracefully

I’d like to tell you about a lady I visited yesterday.   She is ninety-five years young.  She recently moved into nursing home.  She asked one of the workers how many times she would have to walk around the outside of the building in order to walk a mile.  She said the person told her about ten.   Then she leaned in really close and whispered, “I walked around twelve just to be sure I walked a mile.”  Hahahaha! What a lady!  She loves to keep active, even in a nursing home.  As we talked, I saw no anger or bitterness in her speech or actions. There was only a love for God, a heart of compassion, and a sense of humor. She has befriended the one "prickly pear" at the home because as she said, “I have to love her, so she knows Jesus loves her too.”  Wow!!! I need to live like that!  I want to show that much compassion for those around me that need Jesus.  She loved to talk about God and what he was teaching her. ...

What’s That Smell?

To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. 2Corinthians 2:16 Last break!  The shift was almost over. Then the unthinkable happened, this man appeared out of nowhere wanting to know where the flashlights were kept.  As we were on our way to the flashlights, I noticed that this man had a very strong odor.  I thought perhaps I could get in front of him so that the smell would not be as strong.   That, however, was not to be either since; he insisted on keeping pace and walking right beside me. By the time we got to where the flashlights were; I was practically running just to keep ahead of him.  I showed him the flashlights and made a hasty exit.  If you’re like me, you shower and even put on perfume or cologne so that you will not stink.  We are concerned that the smell coming from our body is not offensive to others.  As I write this, I wonder if we are as concerned with our spiritual aroma as ...