Difficult Words...

I hope these simple but difficult words will prove beneficial to you. Difficult? Yes - NOTHING DONE WELL comes easy. The key word is "WELL" or excellent. To excell at anything takes "PRACTICE" - and the truth remains that only "PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT". Mediocre effort only produces mediocre results - somewhere between horrible and great - sort of OK. Great athletes, great artists, great writers, may all have had gifted genetics, but not one of them developed those gifts to their full potential without DEDICATED EFFORT.


If you accept the truth that NOTHING GREAT will come easy, you can begin early to set your heart and mind to diligently pursue EXCELLENCE - that state of excelling. One of the saddest things I have observed in my life, is men who have excelled mentally, physically or economically while being "retarded" spiritually. They fully dedicated themselves to developing the areas they valued and neglected the area God values the most. Many of these men will be those who "GAINED THE WHOLE WORLD" while forfeiting their own souls.


In whatever area physially, mentally or economically you pursue - may you acheive success in direct proportion to the effort and energy you apply. I can assure you, you will never give little and earn much. One of the most profound statements our Lord ever made was this - "Be very careful how you hear, for with the measure you use - that is what will be measured to you. Whoever has will be given more and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."


Brilliant men intellectually, physically and economically have too often been spiritual runts because they "thought" that somehow the little effort they gave to develop their spiritual life somehow would produce the same results as the diligent efforts they applied in the areas they were truly dedicated. I pray that you will accept this difficult truth early. You will be faced with it one way or another, but it is far better to recognize the potential and benefit from seeing it in the beginning, than looking back full of regret because of the devastation of not seeing it soon enough too near the end to change the consequences.

A dear friend of ours, whose son is turning 18 years old, ask for all his friends to write a letter to his son.  The above is the letter that Alan sent to him.  The picture above is of friends of ours in Canada, who topped a mountian...and I'm sure gainned some understanding of the word DIFFICULT.  In a spiritual sence, we all are climbing this mountian called DIFFICULT, but we are not alone. His presence will guide us, and in His presence is fullness of JOY. This will be our strength for the journey.  Keeping our eyes on HIM.   May our Heavenly Father, give you grace to endure, and may experience teach you HOPE.