Reflecting on PAST blessings .........gives us reasons to rejoice.
For those who are privileged to be parents, -still rearing young children; teach them how to do this by practicing it often.
Suppertime is a great opportunity to reflect.
It's an ideal time to look back over the day and to count the blessings.
Rehearsing PRESENT trials forces us to swallow our (false) pride.
Rehearse the present trials we're going through........& allow them appropriately to cut us down to size.
Being "leveled" has its benefits.
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| "Courage is NOT the absence of fear....., but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear..! " |
Reaffirming our COMMITMENT to INTEGRITY strengthens us with confidence and courage.
This is what I love most about 'Job' from the Bible.......:
Even when he is discouraged and disappointed, he is not defeated.......
In the more recent past there were a small group of strong-hearted, straight-thinking men. We know them today as Reformers....
They were the leaders of the Great Reformation that swept across Central Europe in the sixteenth century:
Jon Huss of Czechoslovakia, Martin Luther of Germany, John Calvin of Switzerland, and John Knox of Scotland (to name only a few) were not supermen in stature or strength.
Nor were they anywhere near perfect.....!
But they had 'Heart"!
They were men of integrity, which included character qualities that kept them faithful.
They were men of integrity, which included character qualities that kept them faithful.
It also resulted in their being not intimidated in the face of opposition that was not only vocal but life-threatening.....& death was possible by the 'flick of a finger'
To borrow from Luther's (now-famous) line, each one said, in effect,
"Here I stand, I can do no other,"
......as they refused to weaken or recant.
"Here I stand, I can do no other,"
......as they refused to weaken or recant.
Like Job, they were misunderstood, maligned, falsely accused, and openly insulted by their critics.
They represented lonely voices of truth while standing true to their convictions.
Job in the Scriptures, long before the above people lived, testified,
"Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go" (Job 27:5--6).
I asked myself,
"Would I have the courage to do what they did?"
Would you?
Shalom
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