Words of Wisdom

LET IT BE

God made the world and then He came to change it.  He isn't a principal, He's an artist.  He doesn't condemn, He creates.  But sometimes we stop too soon.  And when we do, things seem unjust.  Perhaps they are simply unfinished.  When the world tries to change you with its painful, cutting ways, instead embrace the story, receive grace, turn around, and change the world. - Emily Freeman, Chatting At The Sky

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My choice is always the right choice because God has our blueprints and our only divine "Guide" to discipline, not regret.

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From: lt
Subject: FW: Reflection - Oct 21
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:05:46 -0500

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From: j.engelhardt@sbcglobal.net
To: j.engelhardt@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Reflection - Oct 21
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:50:23 -0700

Of Pain And Gain

Read: Psalm 32

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. —Psalm 32:10

During summer training camp, the coaches on one football team wore T-shirts intended to urge their players to exert maximum effort. The shirts bore the motto, “Each day you must choose: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” Discipline is tough—and something we may try to avoid. But in sports and in life, short-term pain is often the only path to long-term gain. In the heat of battle it is too late to prepare. Either you are ready for the challenges of life or you will be haunted by the “what ifs,” “if onlys,” and “I should’ves” that accompany the failure to be prepared. That’s the pain of regret.

One source defines regret as “an intelligent and emotional dislike for personal past acts and behaviors.” It’s painful to look back at our choices through the lens of regret and feel the weight of our failures. This was the case for the psalmist. After a personal episode of sin and failure, he wrote, “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him” (Ps. 32:10). In the clarity of hindsight, he saw the wisdom of a life that strives to honor the Lord—a life that does not need to be marked by regret.

May our choices today not result in regret, but rather be wise and God-honoring.

In You, O Lord, we take delight,
Our every need You can supply;
We long to do what’s true and right,
So, Lord, on You we will rely. —D. De Haan

 Present choices determine future rewards.

 

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Published  10/22/11  ust1611 multiply

Web Page:  Reflection - Oct 21