Daily Wisdom Nuggets

DAILY WISDOM NUGGETS:

VENI, VIDI, VICI!

There once was an old farmer who had worked his land for many years. One day, his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbours came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically. “Perhaps,” the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “What great luck!” the neighbours exclaimed. “Perhaps,” replied the old man. The following day, his son tried riding one of the untamed horses, was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbours again came to commiserate with him on his misfortune. “Perhaps,” was all the farmer would say. The following day, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the leg of the farmer’s son was broken, they passed him by. The neighbours congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out for him. “Perhaps,” yet again, was his only reply…

Does God desert us, do you think, when bad things happen in our lives? Is He only present when things go well? When the storms of life blow and rock the boats of our comfort and faith and expectations, do we take it, then, that our heavenly Father has abandoned us - the same way, even in Jesus' day, when bad things happened to good people it was assumed it was because they had necessarily done some evil?

Good or bad, we all get a taste of life's vicissitudes. A mother of mine was sharing with me, recently, the story of another woman, a very close friend of hers, who lost her beloved son to Covid-19 - a child she was particularly close to. That woman's faith has taken a big hit as a result. I know firsthand what such happenings can do to a person! When my Dad passed when I was just a boy, it was disastrous for my Mom. When, on top of that, my eldest brother kicked the bucket
over a decade ago, my Mom nearly lost it! No parent ever dreams of burying a child of theirs. No!

But what do we do when such things happen anyway? Curse God and die - like Job's wife encouraged him to do? Or, maybe, grieve, share our unhappiness with God, let Him know we don't understand why what happened did - but that we still trust that He's in control of our lives and that all shall be well?

I've had this philosophy and applied it for a long time in my life. It's pretty simple, really: I don't get too excited about anything, good or bad, excellent or horrible, that comes my way. And guess what? That really works for me! Make no mistake: I wholly relish my life, the blessing of my family, the gift of genuine friends, the exquisiteness of the rich talents I am laden with, the joys of my work and all! I am immensely appreciative of it all!

But I refuse to get carried away by the things that occur in my life. I celebrate the positives, yes - but then it's quickly back to the drawing board to plan and work on the next one. When I have a torrid time? Yeah, I take the hit. I feel it, soak it in, let it wash over me, cry if I need to - and then I let it go. Its time is done. Again, I move on - to the next one which could very well be "a pleasant one" or positive happening. Like Helen Keller shares, "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."

Life, my friend, has its ups and downs, good and bad, dark clouds and silver linings. Even Jesus, the Christ, wept, hungered, suffered thirst, was accused of being possessed (imagine that!), was rejected by His own people, scourged like the worst of criminals, crowned with thorns (think of the excruciating pain) and even crucified on the Cross (the most ignominious kind of death in his day - and maybe any other age)! And you think your life is that bad?

Look, I get it! We all have those moments where we wonder whether God is actually "with us, still." It's okay to be upset, sometimes. In those moments I often speak to God like I speak to other physical beings I can see. I let Him know "I'm so not cool" with what's happening and that He had better "rouse Himself up and act like He cares." I often later crawl on my knees to pray for forgiveness for my stupidity - the ranting and raving of a very finite being who does not rightly grasp God's ways - one who often gets emotional about little things because He sees not the end from the beginning like God does!

The farmer in today's story could have gone to extremes in celebrating his boons and bemoaning his ill fortune - but he was practically impervious to it all. Bad things? They will definitely come your way in some form. You can choose to take them on the chin or in the crotch! Your choice! Just remember that crying over spilt milk is futile - and that while you're allowed to cry over what deserves to be cried over, not moving into the future because of a past ill is probably the worst fate any man could condemn himself to while still here on earth. Get a move on! You'll win some and lose some! Just make the most of it all and, in the end, you can sit back and smile because you came, you saw and you conquered!

"EVERY VIRTUE IS A MEAN BETWEEN TWO EXTREMES, EACH OF WHICH IS A VICE." -Aristotle

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DAILY WISDOM NUGGETS:

NEVER ALONE

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of passage? Here's what happens. His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds and leaves him - alone. The youth is required to sit on a tree stump the whole night and not take off the blindfold until the rays of the sun come shining through. He is all by himself. He must not cry out to anyone for help. Once he survives the night, he becomes - a man! He is also not allowed to tell other boys of this experience. Each boy must come into his own manhood. There came the day when it was the turn of a rather gentle Cherokee boy to go through this rite of passage. He was terrified to say the least. He could hear all kinds of noise around him as he sat on the stump on which he'd been left. There were sounds like those of beasts all around him. Some human, even, could hurt him. He was completely at the mercy of everything and everyone! He felt completely lost and alone. The wind blew the grass, creating more frightful sounds. But the boy knew he had to go through the night. It was the only way he could become a man. Others had done it. Well, so could he! He sat stoically there, never removing the blindfold. Finally, after a night of terror, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he saw his father sitting on the stump next to him. His father had been on the watch - seeing to it that no harm came to him - the entire night!

Though not a fan of English-based football club, Liverpool, as I am a supporter, rather, of the most accomplished side in English football, Manchester United, I cannot but fall on that other club's motto - for the purposes of today's message: You'll Never Walk Alone!

Imagine just how terrified this youth must have been. Those are the same terrors we go through year in and year out. Shall we make it through another year? Will death come for our loved ones? Will our families stay united? Will they fall apart? Will we succeed in our pursuits - academic, financial and others? We mull over all these and, sometimes, the anxiety is so great that we feel like just giving up altogether.

But wait! Just as with this boy who had to show he was ready to be a man, we, too, must show we are ready to reap the harvest God has already given us in 2021. To do that, however, means going through the testing required - showing that we are worthy of those boons. You see, we never walk alone because God is always by our side - just as the boy's father, unknown to him, had been with him throughout what could have been, up to that point in his life, his worst ordeal. But imagine his relief when he realised his old man had been there the whole time!

In 2021, God will be with you the whole time! He will never leave your side! You will never walk alone! But if you fail to trust Him and take off the blindfold of faith, that's where all your troubles will begin. Like the words of that song say, "Trust and obey, For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus - But to trust and obey." Let us, with faith, do whatever God tells us and this year will be one like we have never witnessed before. I wish you faith!

"NEVER BE AFRAID TO TRUST AN UNKNOWN FUTURE TO A KNOWN GOD." -Corrie ten Boom

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BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING ONTO ALL...