Category: Perseverance

Many experts think that phrase should be banished forever because how can a child or young person develop a positive self-image if they get fed discouragement?

This theory was not always considered mainstream. When I was growing up, for example, we youngsters understood the meaning of "Life is hard" because adults specialized in using it when we came with complaints. "You didn't get as big a cookie as he did?" or "So you didn't get the grade you thought you deserved?" Then came an answer with a refrain that seldom varied: "Too bad. Well, life is hard, get used to it."

Don't get me wrong. Most adults I knew, like my parents, were kind and loving. Teachers might be strict, but we knew they cared about us. Grandparents, neighbors and every grownup I knew seemed to think it their duty to give us kids a needed realistic perspective on life. That's why we so often heard, "If you expect life to be easy, you're in for a big let-down."

Both my husband and I were used to it. We knew our parents and all the rest spoke out of their experiences during hard times. But my groom and I were convinced our love would conquer all.

No wonder we just knew our life together would be pure joy.

A few years later life handed us a huge object lesson

By this time we had discovered that love did not rule out disappointments and setbacks. Then came one that hit with no warning.

Picture my husband and me in our old Midwestern farmhouse on that freezing cold night of New Year's Day. At almost bedtime
our nearest neighbor called us. In a tense voice he said, "Look out your side window."

That's when we saw the flames blazing across the roof of our old red wooden barn, which painted the sky bright orange. My husband and I looked at each other, each with same thought: The cows! Can we get the cows out in time?

We grabbed coats and boots and skittered down the ice-coated drive area to the barn. Flames already were bursting through between the boards of the barn's side walls. The cows! Somehow we managed to push our terrified animals out the door in time and they slid and stumbled their way onto the concrete feeding floor alongside the barn.

There, cows, young calves and awkward "teenage cows" huddled together in a sad clump, mooing and bawling in fear.

Once they were safe my husband led me to a place out of the wind and we stood there, shaking with cold as we watched our picturesque old red barn burn. Five minutes later the engine of the volunteer Fire Department from the nearest town arrived. The firefighters kept watch until the fire burned itself out.

Several times I had run to the house and checked on our sleeping little girls, thanking God that they slumbered through all the sirens and shouts.

By 2 a.m. the crowd had gone home, taking with them their floodlights. Before long the cattle seemed to settle down, too. Quiet descended like a shroud.

My husband and I staggered back to the house, numb with exhaustion and cold. We two sat at our kitchen table holding hands and trying not to give way to tears as we replayed the scary night just lived and prayed for guidance.

We knew we wouldn't sleep. We also knew daylight would force us to take some kind of action.

What now?

First light revealed the pile of rubble where our barn used to be. Next to it stood our shivering herd of Holsteins–and it was milking time.

The thing about dairy cows is they can't be put off. They had to be milked twice a day. And what about feed? Both cows and calves needed to eat, but all the feed, hay and straw stored in that old barn–with its old, probably faulty wiring–was lost.

What were we to do?

Once again the phone rang and it was the same neighbor who alerted us to the fire. Now he kindly offered the use of an empty shed to shelter our cows from the weather and also would supply hay until we could locate a supply to purchase. Thank God!

After a hasty breakfast my husband and a helper herded the animals the almost one-quarter mile up the road to that farm. My husband, always good at improvising, figured out how to set up the milking equipment he rescued from fire. He and our neighbor agreed on the rent we would pay for as long as we needed his shed and also how to track the hay expense.

With that in place we knew we could make it.

Finding blessing in the loss

This may sound strange, but later we came to understand that we had a built-in advantage when tragedy struck. The fire didn't destroy us precisely because our parents harped on "Life is hard. Get used to it."

That old-fashioned perspective enabled us–despite our fears and uncertainty– to look at the fire as, "Well, that sort of thing happens in life." We prayed and held each other up and got through dark moments. Day by day we coped and it took everything we had in us at the time.

As we rebuilt over the months that followed we grew stronger, individually and as a couple. We saw clearly how God guided us and gave us strength, so our faith grew, too.

Now we took a softer view of our parents, a.k.a., the "crepe-hangers." Before, we assumed they simply didn't understand that with a good attitude and overflowing love and by using our brains, we could fend off crises. After the fire we came to understand they spoke timeless truth.

All along they were trying to ensure we would not be crushed by life's ups and downs.

What do today's youngsters need to survive?

Today we're all about "love," believing that's the way to infuse strength and self-confidence into children and teens. Many grow up hearing, "Look at you!" "You are amazing!" "You are so smart!" "You deserve to be happy!" Teens and young adults hear, "When you find your bliss, your work won't even feel like work," Etc.

Here's a shock: "Bliss" isn't always bliss-full. Finding the "right" work does not ensure you'll never have a frustration or disappointment. The best of times still come with down days sprinkled here and there. Even finding THE perfect love comes with adjustments like each one putting the other one first. (If you find that easy, three cheers for you!)

Truth is, life is hard and nobody's life is trouble-free. The best job in the best place still frustrates once in awhile. People sometimes let us down because well, every human being is imperfect in one way or another.

All this convinces me it's not a bad thing for children and teens to understand that life comes with joy and pain. Best of all is when they also know deep-down the saving love of Jesus and that he will enable them to survive what comes. That gives them a solid base for building a life.

Hard times and problems have been the making of many an individual. Those who hang in there grow–and their inner strength grows. The writer of the book of James knew all about that, writing in James 1:2-4.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers [and sisters,] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. NIV

Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes you way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. NLT

Those verses pretty much say it all, don't they?

Here's to joy in the midst of whatever comes!

Lenore

Did your parents tell you, “Life is hard”? Count yourself lucky!

February 16, 2023
No doubt about it, a frog is an unlikely life coach. And yet …

Why not set aside your logic for a few minutes and enjoy a modern fable? (Original source unknown)

Once upon a time some frogs arranged a competition to see which one could make it to the top of the highest tower in the land.

Everyone with good sense hooted because, how far could an ordinary frog expect to climb? Nevertheless, a big crowd gathered on the appointed day to watch these hoppers make fools of themselves.

Once the race got underway the onlookers got excited. Young and old jumped up and down and cheered loudly.

(Or jeered, just as loudly.)

An old-timer said, "Any fool knows this is impossible. In the first place, it's a silly idea. Everybody knows frogs are made for jumping, not for climbing."

Someone else said, "You can barely see the top of that tower. They will never make it to the top. Even the strongest frog could do that!"

Soon some of the smaller climbers gave up, exhausted. Before long others started dropping out. Only a few of the more determined kept climbing.

All along the crowd kept hollering, "It's too much! You'll never make it! If you keep on you'll have a heat stroke for sure!"

One by one, more frogs dropped out and gave up trying.

Yet one kept going

The lone adventurer inched his way higher and higher, panting hard. The crowd down below grew silent, each one holding their breath and whispering to each other, "How can this be? Everybody knows that loser never won a race in his life."

At last the "loser" frog stood at the very top. Then he sat down on a ledge to rest, relishing the view from up high.

By now everyone was cheering and clapping, including the skeptics. Even the frogs who dropped out along the way couldn't help themselves. They clapped, too.

After awhile the winning frog started his descent, pausing every so often to look around and wave and smile.

Once the winner reached solid ground the clamoring crowd surrounded him, many patting him on the back and saying, "I knew you could do it!"

Just then a reporter from KFRG-TV pushed his way through

He thrust a microphone in front of the winner.

"Congratulations, Mr. Frog! This is quite a feat and we want to feature you on tonight's Evening News. Earlier on we heard some people yelling that this tower was too high and you could never make it. A few told me you were out of your league. Nobody remembered a single time you competed in anything before this race.

"Yet you signed up and you didn't give up. What kept you going all the way to the top?

The winner thought a minute before he answered.

"Well, somehow I really believed I could do it and it felt right. So I made up my mine no matter what anyone said, I wouldn't let it bother me. I just glued my eyes and my attention on where I wanted to go.

And the moral of the story is …

Every now and then we run into a discouraging time in our lives or someone we love has problems. Try as we might to say the right thing, all our words come out wrong. Our regrets and second-guessings yammer at us when we try to sleep.

Or we can get caught up in in the world around us, the endless warnings and forecasts of hard times ahead. What will become of us? Anxiety threatens to eat us up.

There's no better time to be like that frog and ignore any voices that would drag us down.

P.S. for believers …

As we run our race, we keep our eyes on the One who said:

"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

One more thing

What we say–to ourselves or to others–matters. Words have power. Words can lift and inspire.

Words also can crush egos and flatten dreams.

The tongue has the power of life and death… Proverbs 18:21

Whether we're speaking to ourselves or to another person, we get to choose our words.

Every. Single. Time.

So let's choose wisely.

And this is no fable,

Lenore

Fearless frog reveals winning strategy

September 24, 2022
Is our future determined by the color of our skin and by how we live?

As racial and economic tensions boil over across our Nation, a lot of people urgently want to know. That makes it a good time to talk about one of my heroes, the late Sonya Carson.

If anyone ever had the right to say, "I never had a chance!" it's Sonya.

This photo shows her many years and a world away from how her life began.

I heard Sonya's story when, years ago, my husband and I attended a convention with other career people. We sat in that large auditorium and for an hour, our featured speaker held us spellbound. No one moved or even coughed. He shared from his life and frequently told of ways his mother's faith and courage shaped his character.

He said something like this, "My mother always told us our life would be whatever we made of it because we were the captains of our ships, but also that God would give us strength to handle whatever came."

In many ways hers is an unbelievable story–except, it's true

Sonya grew up one of 24 siblings in a very poor family in rural Tennessee. She dropped out of school in third grade and apparently nobody paid much attention. Here's another shocker: Just a few years later, when Sonya was 13 years old, an older man wanted to marry her and no one intervened.

The newlyweds moved to Detroit and after a couple of years Sonya bore two sons and lived a comfortable life.

Then came the shocker. She learned her husband had another wife and family across town and frequently visited them.

Sonya took her two sons, ages eight and ten, and moved to Boston to live with her sister. She divorced her husband and began her life as a single parent, well aware she had almost no education and no skills.

What to do?

Two years later Sonya and her boys moved back to Detroit, into substandard housing, all she could afford. Immediately she set out to do what she knew how to do: clean house for others. She promised herself–and her wealthy employers–that she would do the best job of cleaning they ever had.

To pay expenses Sonya regularly worked two and three jobs, leaving home before sunrise and often not returning until around 11 p.m. She clothed the three of them by patching and darning garments from Goodwill. Summer weekends found Sonya and the boys picking produce on shares with local growers so they'd have fresh food and she could can the excess.

Every week the trio attended worship services and participated in the day's church activities.

These three were victims, right? Wrong!

When Sonya died in 2017, he wrote this in his obituary tribute:

"If anyone had a reason to make excuses, it was her, but she absolutely refused to be a victim and would not permit us to develop the victim mentality either."

Of school and other challenges

The Carson boys did what their friends did after school, played outside, then watched TV.

Sonya's younger son struggled. Classmates labeled him "Dummy" and jeered he was the dumbest kid in the world. Soon he believed it and brought home a report card full of Fs.

His mother would have none of it and told him, "Son, you have to work harder. You have to use that good brain God gave you. Do you understand me?"

She prayed. "Lord, if You can take nothing and make a world out of it, You can take my situation and make it work–for the boys' sake."

Before long she felt she knew exactly what to do.

Sonya sets new house rules

First, homework must be completed right away after school. No exceptions.

Sonya observed her clients didn't spend much time watching television and instead, they read books. Now she told her sons they were allowed only two TV programs per week, chosen and agreed on in advance–and okayed by her. The rest of the time the TV would be turned off. Period.

Each week the boys must read two books they chose at their neighborhood public library and write a one-page report on each book, turning it in to her by week's end.

What's more, both boys must be in their apartment by 5 pm, with the door locked. "You don't open that door for anyone except me. With gang members picking fights out there, it's not safe. I love you both and I want you to live.

"You are on your honor and I trust you because I believe in you. We live God's way and we keep our promises, so I know you won't disappoint me."

Reading brings results

The boys began hanging out at the library. One librarian took an interest and began pointing out books they might like. The younger son first read about animals and then developed an interest in rocks and science.

Each week both boys handed their book reports to their mother. She read them with a red pencil in her hand and questioned them thoroughly. Her son laughed while telling us it took a couple years before the brothers realized their mother could barely read what they wrote.

Before long "Dummy" began answering questions classroom questions correctly, even volunteering extra information. He finished the school year as one of the best students in class.

He told us only his mother was not surprised

"She always told us, 'If you can read, Honey, you can learn just about anything you want to know. The doors of the world are open to people who can read. And my boys are going to be successful in life, because they're going to be the best readers in the school."

Sonya never stopped believing in her sons. Or in God.

Over and over she told them, "Learn to do your best and God will do the rest."

Sonya lived by that principle herself and indeed, no client ever wanted anyone else to clean their homes.

Their mother's words became their mindset, too

Curtis, Sonya's older son, became an engineer.

Benjamin, our convention speaker, earned a scholarship to Yale and eventually became a pediatric neurosurgeon, internationally known. He successfully separated a number of conjoined twins using his pioneering techniques and instructing other surgeons.

This former "F" student also became one who debated famous proponents of evolution and atheism and has written a number of books.

In 2001, Ben was named one of 89 Library of Congress "living legends." If you look up the current list of books he wrote, they number 15. One of them was made into a movie by the same name, "Gifted Hands," which tells about his life and stars Cuba Gooding, Jr.

You've probably figured out that her younger son is Ben Carson, who retired from medicine and now serves as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

As for Sonya, once her sons were grown, she took her own advice. She earned her GED and took college classes before becoming a successful interior decorator.

Some would label Sonya's story unbelievable, a fluke

The answer is this is a true story about real people.

People of faith understand that Sonya so clearly relied on God all along–and HE is the real hero of her story.

The same God who gave her strength promises to guide us and strengthen us, too.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 ESV

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.                                                           Philippians 4:13 NIV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Like Sonja, we can know God will hear us when we ask in faith.

Trusting, too,

Lenore

Learn from one who overcame huge disadvantages

September 15, 2020
Some of us think we must not have what it takes to be involved in the "Big Things" of life.

We seem to end up doing all the stuff other people don't want to do.

It's not that we mind doing it so much, it's the one constant that nags at us and drags us down:

No one seems to notice.

We're the ones who wash the dishes and pots after church suppers, then gather up the bundle of used dish towels, etc., and take them home. Of course we bring them back clean–bleached, if necessary–and folded.

No one seems to notice.

At home, with or without a paying job, we're on call to do the endless good things needed to keep our kids growing in the right direction and our home and family strong. We do it all with love and it's what we want to do. Still . . .

No one seems to notice.

It would be great if we were selfless and those around us spoke their appreciation, at least every now and then. That often doesn't happen.

Demanding perfection of ourselves–or others–is a waste

It's well to remind ourselves that we are, by definition, human and therefore, imperfect. (Isn't that why we need a Savior?)

But it's no surprise that at least once in awhile we'll think, I am really tired of being taken for granted.

Or perhaps we just sigh and think, at least I came through. Again.

I'm not perfect, but at least I was faithful. Lord, make me content with that. Thank you for strength to keep going.

As Christians, you and I know every day is a gift from God. The strength we need to live our lives is a gift, not a given.

If we forget that, we have only ourselves to depend on.

We can't know how God will use our small efforts

If you're a longtime reader, you'll know I like focusing on inspiring people. Let's look again at how God used some ordinary people.

Edward Kimball had no particular talent, but he decided to do what he could with love and with faith. He started a Sunday school class just for teenage boys in a poor Boston neighborhood.

A 19-year old shoe clerk, Dwight L. Moody, attended and came to faith in Jesus. Later, Moody established a successful shoe business in Chicago.

D. L. Moody, though poorly educated, started a Sunday school class and attendance grew to 1500 each week. Then Moody began to preach the Gospel and huge crowds turned out to hear him.

When Moody preached in Great Britain a pastor, F. B. Meyer, attended and went home a changed man. His new view of faith led him to alter his preaching style. Soon crowds began coming to hear him.

Eventually Meyer came to the U. S. to preach and another pastor, J. Wilbur Chapman, went to hear him. Chapman became an evangelist, going from city to city.

Soon he needed an assistant and hired a young baseball player: Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday became an evangelist. In 1894 he held a prayer meeting in North Carolina.

Mordecai Ham attended and came to faith, then resolved to reach people for Jesus. He began preaching the Gospel throughout the rural areas of North Carolina.

A 16-year old farm boy came to hear him: Billy Graham. You know the rest of the story.

You and I cannot know how God will use us in the lives of others

I think of Bill, whom I knew since I was growing up in the Midwest. After retirement he and his wife moved to the small city near their farm.

As he had throughout his life Bill took on small tasks. Pulling weeds on the church lawn. Sweeping up after events. Volunteering at a historical site to mow the grounds.

At his memorial service a number of younger people told how every Sunday after church Bill talked and laughed with them, then slipped each kid a stick of his favorite Blackjack gum.

One man spoke for many when he said, "The high point of every Sunday was talking with Bill. He always cheered me on and I knew he cared about me. I always chewed that stick of Blackjack, even though I didn't like it then and still don't. But it came from Bill and that was enough for me.

"I loved that simple, good man who loved me. I know now Bill kept me coming to church and kept me on track."

A stick of gum, you can't get much smaller than that

Day in, day out, this is what matters for eternity:

Our God-given call is to be faithful and to love. The rest is up to God.

Here's a lift for our tired hearts:

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people…   —Ephesians 6:7 (NIV)

[Jesus said] "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones… "                                                 –Luke 16:0 NIV

Speaking to others about Jesus the best way we know how. Offering a child a stick of gum and a listening ear. Cleaning up pots and pans and doing laundry. Little things by themselves, every one of them.

But who knows what God will do with your "little things" and mine? Only God. And that is enough.

Strength and joy to you, my friend, day after day.

Learning, too,

Lenore
For those times you feel no one notices what you do: Take heart!

October 19, 2016
This is a story about overcoming BIG obstacles.

This little charmer was born in 1987, to a mother and father who walked away from the hospital and left her behind.

Permanently.

Enter Sharon and Gerald Bricker, two "ordinary" people who live in tiny Hardinville, IL.

They already had three sons, but Sharon always yearned for a daughter. She told a reporter, "I prayed, 'God give me a little girl that needs a family as bad as I need a little girl.'"

He did.

When the couple learned this 3-month old baby girl was available for adoption they were ready to jump at the chance.

There was just one little thing: She was born without legs.

No matter, they decided. The Brickers quickly applied to adopt, signed all the paperwork, took her home and named her Jennifer.

These two knew from the beginning that their new daughter would require all the love they could give her.

Meet Jennifer Bricker today, champion acrobat and aerialist

She and her parents tell their story on an unforgettable YouTube, titled: "Never say can't." www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9M6r5RF4A

I've watched it several times and one word comes through to me: Courage.

Courage for Jennifer, of course, but also for Sharon and Gerald, all the way through.

They come across as two good people, solid and strong, who stepped out in faith.

These two non-experts simply loved their child and believed in her. Because of Sharon's earlier remarks, it's safe to say they prayed, probably every minute of every day.

I consider these parents as amazing as their daughter.

In the Bricker family, the same rule applied to everyone

Jennifer traces her attitude to the one simple rule her parents gave her: "Never say 'can't.'"

She remembers them telling her again and again, "'Can't' is not part of your vocabulary. If you just put your mind to it, you can do it."

"If you're never given limits," she says, "then you think, 'I can do anything!'"

So this little "handicapped" girl decided she could be a tumbler, a gymnast and nothing would stop her.

Finding courage to go on

When I imagine Sharon and Gerald Bricker's life. I think how easy and loving and "right" it would have seemed to tell their daughter, "Honey, I'm sorry. You can't be a tumbler because you have no legs . . . You can't play basketball because without legs you couldn't be fast enough . . . You can't play baseball because how could you run the bases?"

And all their friends and neighbors would have said, "You did the right thing. It's a shame, but in her situation how could little Jennifer even think such a thing?"

It took courage to let their daughter try and keep on trying and experience the disappointment and pain until she mastered the skills.

Suppose we, too, adopted "Never say can't" as our motto

What if we removed "can't" from our vocabulary? Or refused to allow it as an excuse within our family?

It sounds almost counter-cultural, doesn't it?

Whatever age we are, it takes courage to murder the word, "can't," and push ourselves to grow stronger and to persevere when it's hard.

Maybe it sounds too simple, but as Christians we know where to find strength and courage to go on. Here are a couple of verses that remind us we are never alone:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. –Isaiah 41:10

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. –Philippians 4:13

Still learning, too,

Lenore

Note: Because Jennifer Bricker was interviewed on "Family Life Today" on July 15, 2015, it seemed worthwhile to re-post this. She makes us believe we can handle anything, doesn't she?

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Look what can happen if we stamp out two words: ” I can’t”

July 15, 2015
Maybe you never thought about Maya Angelou until now, after her recent death, when everyone's talking about her.

Maybe you wonder what's the big deal?

I sometimes disagreed with her views , but I admire how she came through a harsh childhood and grew into a calm, balanced woman of accomplishment.

How did she do it?

I think it traces back to her stable, loving grandmother, who spoke faith and hope into this hurting little girl. When Maya was three her dysfunctional father plunked her down to live with his mother-in-law, then four years later snatched her backto live with her mother.

When Maya was eight, her mother's boyfriend raped her. She confided in her older brother, who told the family. The rapist was tried, convicted and jailed.

For one day.

Shortly thereafter, someone murdered him. Blaming herself for the man's death, Maya stopped talking . . . for five years.

The two siblings were sent to live with Grandma, who provided a solid home, frequently reassuring them of Christ's love for them.

How does one survive such experiences?

We can learn a lot from Maya about overcoming pain. Her writings and interviews reveal what kept her from bitterness.

Faith in God:
"I believed that there was a God because I was told it by my grandmother and later by other adults. But when I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God, when I understood that, when I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous."

Take the long view:
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

Choose to take a positive view of life:
"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."

Forgive:
"You can't forgive without loving. And I don't mean sentimentality. I don't mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, 'I forgive. I'm finished with it.'

Be authentic:
"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers.”

Be kind:
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Recognize your impact on others:
"Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model for somebody, and if we aren't, we should behave as though we are — cheerful, kind, loving, courteous. Because you can be sure someone is watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes.”

Remember that life is a gift:
Maya's prayer: "I want to thank you, Lord, for life and all that's in it. Thank you for the day and for the hour, and the minute.”

This kind of transformation can't be accomplished on our own

Maya's story reminded me of this verse, which reveals her secret.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. –2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Maya Angelou was far from perfect, yet she was forgiven. In Christ, she was a new creation, freed from bitterness and hate.

That's what enabled her to be able to say, "I forgive. I'm finished with it"–and mean it.

You and I can have the same newness of mind and spirit. It's the gift that comes with believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (John 3:16-17.)

Trusting, too,

Lenore

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Where can we find joy and peace in dark times?
Learning about life and perseverence from Maya Angelou

June 2, 2014
Few who watched the London Olympics could look away from the shots of Oscar Pistorius, a strong, triumphant athlete.

There he was running on two carbon fiber blades shaped like scythes. Although he failed to qualify for the 400 metre final, this South African counted it a victory simply to compete on an equal basis with "normal" runners.

If you followed his story, you know Oscar was born without fibulas, the long bones that run from knee to ankle. That November 22, 1986, his parents, Sheila and Henke Pistorius, as any of us would, wondered what kind of life lay ahead for their newborn.

Early on they consulted with some of the best doctors in the world. These physicians advised a procedure that left them reeling: Ampute their baby's legs below the knee. Soon.

Doctors assured them their son would face less difficulty learning to walk and would have better mobility all through life. Surgeons performed the amputation before Oscar's first birthday.

Six months later technicians fitted the toddler with his first prosthetic legs.

Never shrinking back

This remarkable family was crazy for sports. Oscar grew up rejecting physical limitations and trying everything, egged on by his mom.

He played rugby and water polo and also wrestled. In 2003 a rugby tackle resulted in torn knee ligaments. Doctors advised him to get into sprinting to rehab his leg and his coach quietly began shape Oscar for a running career.

Through it all, Sheila Pistorius cheered him on. According to her son, she cut him no slack. "She always said the loser isn't the person that gets involved and comes in last, but it's the person that doesn't get involved in the first place."

Henke and Sheila divorced sometime during Oscar's childhood years, after which the three siblings saw little oftheir father. .

Sheila Pistorius died when Oscar was fifteen. In an interview with News24.com, he said his mother "left an indelible mark on me."

What keeps him going

It's heady stuff for any athlete to compete in the Olympic, but Oscar never forgets the source of his strength. He discussed that with Nico Bougas (Assist News Service (ANS) dated June 9, 2012.)

Oscar grew up in a Christian home and accepted Christ as His Savior “more or less before I could remember. God is the most important person in the world to me. If I’m on the right patch spiritually, it helps with everything else.”

Asked why he needs Christ in his life, he says: “Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength. Christ makes all the difference. He aids me in my struggles and makes my glories that much greater.”

The ultimate prize

Like many athletes, Oscar has a tattoo, which he got one sleepless night in New York City. It’s a verse from Corinthians: “I do not run like a man running aimlessly.’’

To be specific, the verse is 1 Corinthians 9:26. If we add verse 25, we understand what Oscar Pistorius means:

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly . . .

The crown stands for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, which brings us eternal life in heaven.

Here's to living with purpose–with or without a tattoo.

Love,

Lenore

A never-quit spirit makes up for deficiencies

August 7, 2012
"Life Happens," they say. Catastrophes happen, too.

Fears we stuff down during the day haunt us at 2 a.m. Questions like, If that were true for me, could I handle it?

That's on my mind because of what happened to friends I'll call John and Mary. These two were driving home from vacation on a summer day. No speeding. No alcohol or drugs. Suddenly their car spun out of control on a curve and slammed into a highway guard-rail. Most of the impact was on the right-front corner of their new SUV.

Mary's side.

John walked away. Mary was helicoptered to the nearest trauma center. Doctors could not repair her mangled legs and amputated both of them below the knee.

Mary's life will never be the same. Neither will John's.

Like so many other friends I'm praying God's healing and comfort. Courage, too, for both of them, every day.

Courageous people seldom see themselves as heroes

For another wonderful couple I know, let's call them Jim and Jenny, this scenario is familiar territory. When she was a young mother Jenny contracted a type of flesh-eating bacteria.

Doctors gave them a choice: Her legs or her life. They chose life.

Surgeons severed her legs well above the infected area, up to her knees. Since then Jenny's prosthetic legs and her walker have been her best buddies. Together this young couple coped, reared their children and made a warm, loving family life.

When asked individually how they got through it, each one said something like, "Well, we knew God wouldn't give us more than we could handle. So we just prayed and kept going."

Tragedy strips away pretenses

After years of happy marriage, Mary and John face the same kind of challenges as they adjust to this new reality. John reports that Mary already is receiving physical therapy. She already can transfer herself from the bed to a wheelchair and will be fitted with prosthetics. After transfer to a long-term rehab facility in another city she's amazing therapists. They predict she'll be walking and driving within six months.

John thanked friends for their support and prayers, then closes his update with this sentence:

"Our lives have changed but we will move forward doing what we want to do in a different way."

When everything else falls away, it's what's inside that counts

Jesus talks about that in Luke 6:45:

Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

My friends have an inner reserve on which they draw.

If we continually put the Good Stuff in it's like "filling our tanks," a reserve of courage beyond our own. Then we'll be ready for every day, whatever it brings.

I've found it helpful to underline Bible verses that speak to my heart so I can find them more easily. Verses like these remind me I'm not alone.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. —2 Corinthians 4:7-9

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. –Isaiah 41:10

As you read your Bible mark verses you love. Think of them as your internal armor (Ephesians 6:10-18.)

Then when the what ifs come in the night, repeat them and let them balm away your fears. Peace, be still.

Love,

Lenore

When the bottom drops out of life, how can we go on?

July 14, 2012
Maybe you know one.

Maybe you are one.

I can hear you saying, "Yeah, sure."

Well, I'm not kidding. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and ages. Sometimes they're in the spotlight and their stories make the news.

Most of the time, however, nobody notices.

Think about the dads–and moms–who go off to work every day, mostly without complaint. Consider the ones who got a pink slip. They could sink into a heap on the floor, but they don't. Instead, they look at the people they love and keep going.

Include the ones who every day they wave a smiling goodbye to their spouse and their children, then go back inside and clean up the fallout of family life. All day, every day, they do a few of the million things it takes to keep a family going.

Hardly anyone pays much attention.

Living with uncertainty

Over the four years I've known one married couple who have lived with precarious paychecks. You would never guess that by their smiles. They always talk about how God watches over them. These two model unwavering faith, especially for their three children.

Don't forget the moms and dads who know the pain of watching their child struggle, whether with school, with drugs or emotional illness, or just with living. These parents sought out the most-qualified professionals they could find, but see little to no progress. Time passes with little evident progress, yet they keep on praying and encouraging, keep on believing.

Who can imagine the anguish of watching your child suffer through a serious, perhaps life-threatening illness? Some care for failing spouses or parent(s.) Even as sadness depletes their emotions and exhaustion saps their strength they pour out love, all the while mourning what was and will never be again.

Some heroes wear uniforms and serve in the Armed Forces. All the while their wife or husband or parent(s) prays fervently and waits. They may return home alive, but injured, changed, whether emotionally or physically. On the long road back all the wife or husband or parent can do is keep on loving and keep on praying.

Heroes, every one of them.

Take a closer look in the mirror

See that hero looking back at you?

You're a hero because you stay, no matter what, and keep on loving, being faithful. Whatever may be missing in your life, every day you decide again to keep on loving as if. As if you were fulfilled. As if your husband or your son or daughter displayed every quality you once envisioned.

You do this because you promised. Because God made you a mom.

You often think you don't do enough. You cry over the times you get impatient or lose your temper. You pray, because you know you're not strong enough on your own.

God sees. He knows. Here's a promise for those days you feel overwhelmed.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. –Isaiah 40:28-31

Lovingly,

Lenore

Search out the heroes around you

November 30, 2011
It's a line we hear a lot, especially on talk shows and newscasts, "He/she never really had a chance."

Oh, yeah?

Meet Anthony Robles, a senior at Arizona State. In March, 2011, he captured the PAC 10 NCAA Wrestling Championship in the 125 lb. class. This came after a season in which he scored 36 wins and 0 losses.

Imagine the shock his 16-year old mother felt as she gazed at her son for the first time. Their problems looked to be insurmountable.

Not necessarily.

"My mom always told me when I was younger that God made me this way for a reason and I didn't understand what that meant," Anthony says.

He told one interviewer he can't remember ever feeling sorry for himself. His mother and stepfather raised him to believe he could do anything he set his mind to.

"I grew up thinking that way. I didn't think of my condition as something that could hold me back. I just thought this is how God made me and I'm going to make the best of it . . . . "

So seven-year old Anthony decided it took too long to put on his prosthesis and abandoned it for crutches. Nobody thought he could do it, but he rode a bike at age five and later played football. A few years ago in the fall he covered the ASU one-mile track in ten minutes. By spring he did it in eight. Regulars got used to seeing Anthony lifting weights, "running" mile-after-mile on the track and climbing the Stadium stairs as part of his training. He even climbed rocky Squaw Peak with his team, making it to the top in half an hour.

"My parents raised me to believe there was nothing I couldn't do," he says.

Coach Thom Ortiz says Anthony never asked for nor expected any special treatment. That reflects his mother's attitude. She told an interviewer. "He is a blessing. Don't treat him like he's something, but don't treat him like he's nothing, either. Just treat him like Anthony."

After college he plans a speaking career. This young man won't need any visual aids, because he is one. He has a powerful message about living with challenges. "It doesn't have to be a missing leg. You could have any obstacle in your life . . . Don't stay concerned with the negatives–what can hold me back, what my disadvantages are. I stay focused on the positive thing–what I have, what I can do."

Judy Robles fascinates me as much as her son. What enabled her to stay instead of walking away from her one-legged son? What kept her from becoming an alcoholic or getting strung out on drugs? Where did she find the strength to go on as she watched her little boy struggle and fall down, again and again?

She could have handled it by saying, "Oh, you poor thing. Here, let Mommy do that for you." Instead, she taught Anthony that God made him the way he is for a reason and if he set his mind to it, he could do anything.

Two kinds of mother love. Two kinds of motivation.

Since we know Judy Robles is a Christian, it seems reasonable to think she depended on God and on Bible verses like this for comfort and to keep her going.

I can do everything through him who gives who gives me strength. –Philippians 4:8

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book

–Psalm 56:8 (New Living Translation)

So what do you think, does faith in God make a difference in how we face obstacles?

You tell me.

Lovingly,

Lenore

Note: Quotes come from the numerous newspaper and magazine articles I found when I Googled "Anthony Robles."

Does faith in God make a difference when we face obstacles?

April 16, 2011