It has been a busy week and I’ve had very little time to work on ‘ye olde blog’. It’s “that time of year”…I’m sure you’re familiar with an April 15, midnight deadline! Only this year, because of the 15th being on a Saturday, the deadline is April 17th. To quote a friend and another blogger…Get…”to the point!!” The point being, since I haven’t compiled any new information about My Hometown, I’m “borrowing”…(some would call it “stealing”) an article from WorldNetDaily. I have a friend who keeps me informed of things I should be aware. I wanted to share this with you because it hit me so personally.
Back in the late summer and early fall, I had been praying for rain to fall in the East Texas area where our friends live. Dewayne sent an e-mail message one day and said, “You can stop praying because it’s NOT working!!” I think at one time or another, we all feel like our prayers are not getting any higher than the ceiling. This is for all of us:
The patron saint of ordinary people
Greg Laurie
Posted: April 1, 20061:00 a.m. EasternEditor's note: This article was adapted from "Losers and Winners, Saints and Sinners: How to Finish Well in the Race of Life" (New York: Warner Faith, 2005). Used by permission.
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Maybe your parents gave you a name you don't particularly like. I heard about a mom and dad who decided to give their child the very curious name of "Odd." Poor kid! Obviously that invited ridicule and mockery all through grade school, high school and college. But the jibes made him want to achieve, and he became a very successful lawyer.
Because people ribbed him his entire life, he decided that upon his death, he wanted an unmarked tombstone placed at his grave so his name would never be uttered again. His wishes were honored. The problem was when people saw this tombstone without an inscription, they almost always said, "That's odd."
Jesus gave to His disciple Simon the new name of Rock. Why? He knew Peter would eventually grow into the name. His given name, Simon, means "a listener" or "a hearer." Upon seeing him for the first time, Jesus essentially gave him a nickname – a new title to describe the person he was going to become. He said, "Your name is going to be Peter or 'Rock'" (the literal meaning).
I think the others might have done a little snickering at that point. If there was anything Simon was not, it was a rock. A rock is stable and solid. Peter was given to the emotion of a moment. He could be hotheaded. But God saw him for what he would become.
We know Jesus knew what He was getting. He knew Peter would fail. He knew Peter would fall short. He even knew Peter would ultimately deny Him. But Jesus also knew Peter would make a comeback. He knew that after his early failure, "the rock" would courageously serve the Lord all the days of his life. He looked right through him, and He saw potential.
In the same way, Jesus looks at you and doesn't see you just for what you are. He sees you for what you can become. We see a lump of clay; God sees a beautiful vase. We see a blank canvas; God sees a finished painting. We see a lump of coal; God sees a refined diamond. We see problems; God sees solutions. We see failures; God sees potential success. We see a Simon; God sees an apostle Peter.
God can take the failures of our lives and use them for His glory. That doesn't mean we should go out and intentionally fail. It means that when we do, we can learn from those mistakes. The doorway to success is entered through the hallway of failure. If at first you don't succeed, relax – you are just like the rest of us!
Have you ever tried to do something for God that was a complete failure?
It may have been a prayer for someone to get better physically, who actually got worse. I remember once a friend was feeling nauseated and asked if I would pray. I did just that, and his nausea increased! He said he would never ask me to pray for him again!
Perhaps you tried to do some good work in your community and it failed.
Let me say to you: Thank you for your failures! I would far rather try and fail than never do anything at all. Besides, failure is not always such a bad thing. We learn from our mistakes. Failure can indeed teach success.
God Bless until next post!!
3 comments:
Jackie you done good with this post. That was a good piece of writing about the rain/wind/sand. Boy do I remember those blasing sand storms in West Texas. And that was a good borrowed story. Than man can write. Keep it up, you're doing great.
Bunt
Love this article....and also the one on Sand and Wind....I console myself with the idea that "It's not as bad as Lamb County"....
I loved your article on the rain,wind and sand. How true it is. Loved your other article also. Keep up the good work. I love your articles on Munday, Tx.
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