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The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Canada
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Canada
How well do you know yourself?
The sure-fire way of knowing yourself
"Each one's work will become clear... because it will be revealed by fire; and
the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is." Matthew 14:28
I quit," the church volunteer said to me. "I don't want this responsibility
anymore. Please give it to somebody else." "May I ask why?" I said.
He replied, "I'm too busy with my work, my studies, and my family.
I just don't think I can deliver what is expected of me."
"Let's talk about it then. Maybe we can cut down on some of your responsibilities
in church or get someone else to share the burden with you. Tell me exactly
what's making it difficult for you." There I was again, trying to squeeze water
from a stone... When will I ever learn that it's useless to expect from people what
they don't have in the first place?
"I'd just prefer to give it to somebody else. I'm done, I've made up my mind..."
I realized that no matter what I said, I wouldn't change his mind. So I had to accept his resignation and found someone else to take over.
A few months later, the true reason why he quit was made clear. He wasn't happy about the way his superior was treating him - putting him under a lot of pressure and giving him no support.
And I thought to myself, "He quit because of that? Surely that attitude reveals a lot about him."
There is a verse in the book of Jeremiah 12:5 that says, "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?"
In other words, if you're worn out by small challenges, what makes you think you can survive big ones? And if you can't keep your wits during times of calm, what's going to happen when troubles break loose?
There are two sure-fire ways of truly knowing a person. One is to see how he handles himself when he has money and/or power. The other is to see how he reacts in times of trouble.
How well do you know yourself?
What have your times of peace and of trouble been revealing about you?
That church volunteer quit not because he buckled under pressure and lack of support. He quit because his spirit was weaker than the problem that faced him. That experience revealed that he couldn't handle much. And so, he missed an opportunity of growth.
You can look at the world around you and find a thousand and one reasons why you can't succeed - but none are a good excuse. We need to learn how to live our lives without looking for reasons why we couldn't do this or that. We must learn to look for a way out, through, or around whatever obstacles we find in our way.
The challenges we face are true revealers of who we are. God places them there for our growth, not to our disgrace.
Embrace those challenges. Look them in the eye. Rise to them. Be committed to succeed.
Every challenge is an opportunity to know yourself and to grow.
Are you making the most of them?
"Each one's work will become clear... because it will be revealed by fire; and
the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is." Matthew 14:28
I quit," the church volunteer said to me. "I don't want this responsibility
anymore. Please give it to somebody else." "May I ask why?" I said.
He replied, "I'm too busy with my work, my studies, and my family.
I just don't think I can deliver what is expected of me."
"Let's talk about it then. Maybe we can cut down on some of your responsibilities
in church or get someone else to share the burden with you. Tell me exactly
what's making it difficult for you." There I was again, trying to squeeze water
from a stone... When will I ever learn that it's useless to expect from people what
they don't have in the first place?
"I'd just prefer to give it to somebody else. I'm done, I've made up my mind..."
I realized that no matter what I said, I wouldn't change his mind. So I had to accept his resignation and found someone else to take over.
A few months later, the true reason why he quit was made clear. He wasn't happy about the way his superior was treating him - putting him under a lot of pressure and giving him no support.
And I thought to myself, "He quit because of that? Surely that attitude reveals a lot about him."
There is a verse in the book of Jeremiah 12:5 that says, "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?"
In other words, if you're worn out by small challenges, what makes you think you can survive big ones? And if you can't keep your wits during times of calm, what's going to happen when troubles break loose?
There are two sure-fire ways of truly knowing a person. One is to see how he handles himself when he has money and/or power. The other is to see how he reacts in times of trouble.
How well do you know yourself?
What have your times of peace and of trouble been revealing about you?
That church volunteer quit not because he buckled under pressure and lack of support. He quit because his spirit was weaker than the problem that faced him. That experience revealed that he couldn't handle much. And so, he missed an opportunity of growth.
You can look at the world around you and find a thousand and one reasons why you can't succeed - but none are a good excuse. We need to learn how to live our lives without looking for reasons why we couldn't do this or that. We must learn to look for a way out, through, or around whatever obstacles we find in our way.
The challenges we face are true revealers of who we are. God places them there for our growth, not to our disgrace.
Embrace those challenges. Look them in the eye. Rise to them. Be committed to succeed.
Every challenge is an opportunity to know yourself and to grow.
Are you making the most of them?
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