LIFE IS STRANGE

"Life is strange with its twists and turns, as everyone of us sometimes learns . . ." The words of the old poem ran through my mind this week, and with them a rush of memories of my father. In an orator's voice, looking over his glasses, he would quote those old words dramatically, bringing a smile to my face. The words and the sentiment were true then. They're still true today--even in difficult situations it's always too soon to quit. Not quite able to remember all of the words, I searched the internet and discovered this poem is often quoted. It's called "Don't Quit", written by C.W. Longenecker. Here's just a piece of it--

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don't you quit. Life is strange with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out . . ."

The Apostle Paul said nearly the same thing, in Philippians 3:12-14. He called it pressing on.

". . . but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers (and Sisters), I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

What is it that has you "down a bit" today? First, would you take a step back and consider whether this challenge really matters in light of our ultimate goal--becoming more like Jesus and joining Him in Heaven? If it does, then I encourage you to press on. "Rest if you must, but don't you quit."

On the other hand, if you hold the difficulty up to the light of Jesus, you may discover that it's not as important as you thought it was. In any case, looking to Jesus is always the right answer. I believe that's what Paul was talking about in the very next chapter of Philippians when he told us to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Nothing and nobody fits that description like Jesus does! (See Philippians 4:8)

God bless you today as you press on---

Deborah