“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. “
~ Winston Churchill
I am a very upbeat, optimistic “can-do” guy. For me the glass is almost always half full. But tonight I almost lost if for a little while.
Early this year my beautiful daughter broke both bones in her lower leg in a freak accident and had to have a titanium rod placed in her tibia. She was a great prospect for a Division I volleyball scholarship and that all went down the drain after 9 years of intense competition at a very high level. A month ago we found out that the trauma probably triggered type I Diabetes and she will have to live with that for the rest of her life.
This all started me to thinking about what has happened in my life over the past 5 years. Both of my parents have died, my son discovered he had Type I Diabetes; I left my employment after 13 years and the organization tanked; I started another venture that tanked; I am in serious debt, and on and on. It has not been pretty! From almost any perspective, my life has been a disaster zone the last five years.
Here is the irony … just before all this happened I told myself how satisfied I was with my accomplishments. I had made a significant contribution to my start-up church and been a leading elder for many years. I had brought my ministry out of a long downward spiral and quadrupled its annual income and my new business was thriving, Last but not least my family was all healthy and serving the Lord – Who could ask for more?
Well now I’ve lost all my pride of accomplishment. But today I am battle hardened to an extent I never knew before. In the past, I believed the same things about God and His faithfulness but I had never put Him to the test – I never needed to
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Today the enemy has tried to discourage me. He has been whispering in my ear that I am a failure and responsible for all the crummy stuff that has happened. “Maybe God is paying me back for my sin or lack of faith or …?” He wants me to think I am a failure and undeserving of my Heavenly Father’s love and grace. The Devil wants me to quit. He wants me to forget my God’s promises and His faithfulness. He wants me to take my eyes off of eternity and my soul and focus on the here-and-now and my present condition. Satan is a master deceiver who has come to steal and rob and harm me in any way he can, but I refuse to let him. I’m not even going to stop and feel sorry for myself because I am focused on God and not myself.
Right now I am counting my blessings and there are many … too many to count. I am focused on the battle I am fighting and humbled that He has counted me worthy to be His son. I am getting ready for my assignment in eternity and will not let Lucifer pull me off task by his wily strategies. No one can take my soul and I am safe in God’s hands. How about you?
“The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.”
II Corinthians 10:4-5
