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June 11, 2008
|-- FATHER'S DAY @ HEARTLIGHT -----------------------------|
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
The Gain is Worth the Pain, by Tim Archer
I was about 9 years old. I was taking Red Cross swimming lessons at our
municipal pool. The day had arrived when I was to be tested to see if I
could advance from the Advanced Beginners class to the Intermediate
class. Approximately fifteen of us were to take turns swimming from one
side of the pool to the other and back, doing various strokes and
exercises along the way. I watched as my classmates one by one tried
and failed to pass the test. Then it was my turn to fail, I mean, my
turn to attempt to pass the test. I got about halfway across the pool
when I felt that burning sensation you feel when chlorinated water
enters your nose. I immediately stopped and grabbed the side of the
pool, ending my test.
One of the instructors was standing above me, a scraggly-haired college
student. "Why did you stop?" he yelled, in a less-than-compassionate
voice. "I got water in my nose," I explained.
That's when this scruffy college student taught me one of life's great
lessons, even if he probably never realized he was doing just that.
Bending down, he shouted, "So?"
So?
So? The question took me aback. It had just seemed logical to me that
the answer to pain was to eliminate the thing causing the discomfort.
My 9-year-old brain had not latched onto the fact that a valuable goal
is worth achieving even if we have to go through discomfort to get
there. Recognizing that, I wasn't sure what would keep me from
completing the test. In fact, I did it rather easily on my next
attempt. Seeing me pass the test, almost all of the others did so as
well.
At times I think Jesus lovingly says "So?" to so many of the things
that seem important to me. The obstacles, the hardships, the barriers
that appear along the way can't be compared to the goal that waits at
the end. We have to focus on the final destination, not the bumps in
the road. The apostle Paul wrote: "I consider that our present
sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed
in us" (Romans 8:18). God's plan for us is not to eliminate suffering
in our lives, but to teach us to look past it. When Paul and his
companion Barnabas were visiting churches they had started, they told
them, "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God" (Acts
14:22). The night before the crucifixion, Jesus told his disciples: "I
have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world"
(John 16:33).
If you're not a Christian, it's only fair that we warn you that the
road won't always be easy. But I can assure you that the goal is more
than worth any difficulties we might face along the way. I'd like to
tell you more about living above the hardships of life, with our eyes
focused on the goal. You can write to me at tim@hopeforlife.org or
leave a comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog.
(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing,
retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article.
Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)
Are you presently experiencing a new life? God's word says, "if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!"
This new life is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If
you want to know more about this life that only Jesus can give you,
sign up for one of our Bible courses. Wherever you are in life,
whatever you've done, you can begin again.
You may also contact us at info@hopeforlife.org if you have questions
about becoming a new creation.
---------
(c) 2008 Herald of Truth
RELATED LINKS:
* It's Easier Said Than Done
http://hopeforlife.org/blog/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=12
* It's Not For Everyone
http://hopeforlife.org/blog/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=24
* Is That All There Is?
http://hopeforlife.org/blog/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=15
* HopeForLife
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200806/20080611_gain.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
SEE THE MORNING, by Chris Tomlin
Award-winning artist Tomlin offers a whole new set of soul-inspiring
easy-to-sing songs about God's faithfulness.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?260
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