My husband is in the next room practicing playing his mandolin. It was rather rough when he started out, but through constant and diligent practice he has improved much and can play some fairly difficult pieces now.
A lot of things in life are like that. We first begin to walk and fall over and hit the floor. We begin trying to talk and it comes out gibberish. But by diligently trying over and over, we eventually walk and talk. I can think back to many firsts in my life and the effort it took to get to that point. Even my writing has improved over time in an effort to put my thoughts on paper.
My spiritual life is filled with efforts and failures with successes thrown in. It seems, though, that the failures out number the victories, which is probably true. But gradually, the failures are giving way to accomplishments. Slowly the tide is turning in my life. It is by the grace of God that this is happening. I have tripped up more times than I can possibly count, but God has been there to help me up and let me try again.
The real issue in all this, is do I try to get back up after falling. I will admit that there have been times when I simply laid there and didn’t get up. I gave up, and God will not force us to get up; he waits on us. Was I cut off? No. I simply moved to other areas where I needed to learn how to live as Christ. So what happens when we don’t get up? There is a cost in that we cannot exhibit Christ-like qualities in those areas when life demands it of us. We grieve at our failure knowing it could have been different if we had just gotten up and tried again.
I have experienced this very thing and it was a hard lesson, hard by my own making. But in those occurrences, the grace of God was there. No chiding, no “I told you so,” just enduing hope in me that it was not too late to try again to get it right. God extending the hand of grace to help me knowing that this time he will be helping me stand again should I stumble once more.
I hope that I will not give up again when I need to get up and brush myself off. I hope I have learned the lesson. I don’t want to look back and see where life could have been different had I not given up. God is encouraging me, urging me on to something better. He’s there ready to help me back onto my feet, to move forward in becoming like Christ, and that is worth the effort to succeed.
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2 comments:
If God has helped you 'get back on your feet' when times are difficult, why wouldn't he do the same for someone who has a life you cannot comprehend, with endless difficulties? Even the fact that your husband has a mandolin, that you have a house, and that you have so many other possessions - do you ever wonder why you have 'the life' but some people will never even have a substantial amount of food, from the minute they're born, to the moment they die as a child? If God existed, why would he make these innocent people suffer? You may reply with 'God challenges people, etc." but why would he give YOU a 'second chance' but wouldn't give a starving child a 'second chance' . Answer me that.
I don't know why God gave me a second chance. I didn't deserve it and I still don't deserve it. Frankly, were I God, I would have just tossed me into hell and be done with it after all I had said and done over the years. I don't pretend to understand the mind of God and His ways. I am VERY mindful that I have more than most people in the world just because I have a two bedroom one bath house.
There is a story about a man named Lazarus and a rich man that Jesus told. In the story, Lazarus was a starving, sick man who begged at the gates of the rich man. He longed for the food that the rich man's dogs ate. When he finally died, he found himself in eternity with God and when the rich man died, he was in hell. The rich man cried out seeing Lazarus there and begged that he come and give him water to drink, but was told it could not be done and that while he was alive he enjoyed the good things of life while Lazarus suffered and now it was the other way around.
This doesn't mean that all rich people are evil and that all poor people are good, but God is a God of justice and if we don't see it here, it will happen in the hereafter. I realize that isn't satisfying to a person who doesn't believe in God, but if I did not believe that, I wouldn't be able to bear the suffering and injustice that goes unanswered in this world. It's unbearable as it is and my heart hurts. I give financially to aid and have done volunteer work, but it's a drop in the bucket for all the Lazarus's out there. In the end, God's justice will prevail for those who suffer now.
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