Blind courage

I have just finished reading a delightful book called Blind Courage. It is an autobiography of the epic trekking adventure of Bill Irwin. In 1990, Bill undertook the awesome challenge of walking the Appalachian Trail in North America. This adventure trail is over 2000 mile long (3600 km's) and crosses 14 American states. If this is not impressive enough for us, what is even more remarkable is that Bill walked the entire route blind! He needed the help of his guide-dog, Orient, but he managed to achieve what many seeing people can only dream of. It is an incredible feat.

At some point in the book Bill writes:

"I guess the Lord put me on the Trail with my blindness to let other people see what He could do. My job was to show up for work every day and walk as far as He gave me the strength to walk. God needed a weak man for that job, somebody who had to depend on Him for every step." 

There is so much in these words, and they could easily speak into our lives.

As we resolve to walk through our lives, may we learn to trust in the direction of our Lord.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Resolve to Listen

 

“And now, you priests, this warning is for you. ² If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honour my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honour me.” – Malachi 2:1-2

When Malachi challenges the people of God about their relationship with the Lord he doesn’t hold anything back. He speaks primarily to the Priests, as they are the link between God and the people – the great responsibility rests firmly on their shoulders. And so God urges them to do 2 things:

i.                    Listen to God

ii.                  Resolve to honour Him

In my opinion, both of these things are ‘actions’ – we need to be intentional about listening and committed in ‘resolving’ to honour the name of Jesus. 

So, here is a question: 

How well are we listening to God during this Advent season? 

What plans are we making to honour God’s name?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Don't drag your feet

There are so many people who want to leave a mark on this world or who want to make a difference in their community, but they keep procrastinating. They have lofty ideals, but never put them into practise. We should all remember that time is short and we should begin to make changes one step at a time. 

If we drag our feet and wait for another day, we may not get another chance.

“If you want to leave your footprints on the sands of time, do not drag your feet.” – Dr Abdul Kalam

James 4:14 - How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

Living in Grace

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Unbroken

The book 'Unbroken" tells the amazing story Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner, US prisoner of war and later on in life, Christian evangelist. What Louie had to endure in his life was way more than the ordinary person would ever dream of, yet God had a special purpose for his life.

All that Louie had to go through, particularly as a castaway for 47 days in the ocean and as a POW, would have broken the average person, but all of these trials seemed to build a 'steel resolve' into his character. In the end, Louie is remembered as a person of character, determination, strength, forgiveness and grace.

This book has challenged me on how easily I feel defeated at times, and how we let small things get us down. In order for us to walk the way of Faith, we need to develop a character that is not willing to be broken by the enemy and that is willing to allow God to work miracles in our lives.

Proverbs 24:10 - If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!

Romans 5:2-5 - "And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

Living in Grace
D3LM3