Great
things are accomplished when we believe that what’s inside us is
greater than our circumstances. What we have outside us is less
than what we have inside us. We are more important than any of our
problems. We are bigger than anything that can happen to us.
Courage is
a special kind of knowledge. It’s the knowledge of how to fear, what
ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared. True
courage is a result of reasoning. A brave mind is always impregnable.
Reality is something we need to rise above our obstacles. Here are some
beautiful thoughts derived from the writings of
Maria Fontaine.
Many natural
things in life are seen positively by some people, but resented by
others. Take a rainy day, for example. Some might complain about it,
while others might consider it a blessing because it waters their crops
or grass. Sometimes something that one person would jump at the chance
to do and be thankful for, another
person could hate and resent having to do. Anything can become a source
of bitterness, even things that aren't actually bad in themselves or
that someone else might even consider good. It often depends on how we
take events or circumstances.
On the other hand, there
are some things that are not merely a matter of personal attitude, which
we would all agree are not good or desirable in the natural sense: a
physical handicap, a car accident, a house burning down, etc. If you
have a physical handicap, that is something that has obviously caused
you a lot of pain. It's not your imagination, and it's very natural for
you to be down about it. Yet even our handicaps can be turned into
stepping stones to a better life; like rungs of a ladder, they can help
us climb higher than we could otherwise.
Each of us has something
in our life that could seriously hinder us if we allowed it to get us
down. But the wonderful thing is that God has made a way for us to
overcome those things. In fact, His help
is always available, circumstances do not have to dictate our behavior.
We certainly don't have
to be limited emotionally, mentally, or spiritually by the problems of
our distant or recent past. In fact, God often allows those "bad" things
so we will fight to overcome them and grow stronger in the process.
Instead of looking at obstacles or mishaps or bad experiences as
terrible drawbacks and horrible handicaps, we can use those things to
better our own lives and the lives of others.
Look at all the men and
women throughout history who rose above seemingly insurmountable odds to
become great. They had to fight harder to overcome those obstacles, but
in so doing they became stronger. Instead of complaining that life had
given them a "lemon," a bad deal, they "made lemonade out of their
lemons." Because of their supposed handicaps, they rose higher than they
would have otherwise.
Beethoven was stone deaf
when he composed some of the most beautiful music ever written, and
Thomas Edison was deaf when he invented the phonograph. Alexander the
Great was a hunchback. Homer was a blind minstrel. Renoir painted some
of his finest masterpieces when his fingers were so twisted by
rheumatism that his artist's brush had to be strapped to his hand.
Handel's right side was paralyzed when he composed his greatest work,
"The Hallelujah Chorus!"
Very often it's also the
people who have overcome difficulties who are in turn able to help
others have the courage and faith to overcome theirs. Their personal
examples are proof that it is possible to rise above seemingly
impossible situations.
There are so many
advantages to having problems and difficulties! If we didn't have any,
we'd be complacent and meander along casually, not building the strength
of character that comes from overcoming adversity. The beauty that often
results from suffering wouldn't have a chance to blossom in our lives.
We wouldn't appreciate our loved ones as much, or find true friends in
those who come to our side in times of need. We wouldn't have as much
understanding or compassion on others who are going through the same
things, or know how to help them.
Sometimes troubles are
the only way God can get us to turn to Him for help, or teach us to put
our trust in Him, or to get us to yield to Him, or to stop us from doing
something wrong. He also uses our trials and difficulties to humble us,
to teach us patience and mercy, and to help us not be self-righteous,
among other things. If we never had any trials, we wouldn't find our
strength in God. We also wouldn't experience the thrill of discovering
that He will come through for us!
The beautiful colors of
the rainbow can only be seen through the prism of rain. It takes both rain and
sunshine to make a rainbow. It is in rising with faith and courage above
life's obstacles that makes our life beautiful.
Most
of the important things in the world have been achieved by people who
have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. -Dale
Carnegie |
Tim
|