I was talking with a friend yesterday. He pointed out that, based on the “Mickey Mouse” stressor scales that can be found almost anywhere, my life is in the red zone.
Within a two year period of time I have had my first wife pass away, courted and married a second wife, moderated one of the most contentious assemblies of our denomination, work on a transition plan for ministry which has been completely overturned, been asked to consider running for Mayor, watched the generation ahead of me (those I had looked up to for years) rapidly decline and some die, and . . .
These are good size challenges. William Bennett says in his Book of Virtures: “Give yourself and even greater challenge than the one you are trying to master and you will develop the powers necessary to overcome the original difficulty.” I think my life has certainly had that aspect to it. Often not intentionally!
But, I’m convinced that there is a greater approach that has kept my sanity and let’s me move ahead. As I gaze on God, there is a very real sense in which He is bigger than everything that comes my way. In life, there are times at which the next challenge is beyond my abilities. Nothing is beyond God’s abilities – he created the whole thing!
Perhaps I could modify Bennett by saying: “Gaze upon God, and the even greater challenge you are trying to master will be put into perspective.”
Can’t say every day I’m able to live in that reality, but I’m finding that it is better than the alternative.
That is so true, Ron. Every day brings new challenges that we definitely cannot handle by ourselves. Good thing that we can trust God with what we can’t work out !