inkhorn

I heard the conclusion of the wheelbarrow story the other day. When the tightrope walker asked for a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow and be pushed across, several hundred feet off the ground, he was met with complete silence. Finally a little five year-old boy ran forward, got into the wheelbarrow and was pushed across safely. When the little chap got back on terra firma, people gathered around and asked him how he had been so brave. His reply was simple – “But why should I have been afraid? It was my dad who was pushing me!” So I made the momentous decision to get into the wheelbarrow! And I’m being trundled across the tightrope at the moment. The future is very unsure, but sitting in this wheelbarrow, I’m learning several lessons. Waiting patiently for one! I’m not too good at that. My Father and I have had some skirmishes. I want to stand up and assert my independence. All that seems to do is cause the wheelbarrow to wobble dreadfully! I wanted to give up at one point. Wait...

I had thought there must be some redeeming quality in me. Some talent or ability that made me useful to God, my family and society; that provided a reason for my very existence. Yet as I read Paul’s second epistle to the Corinthians, a different idea was pushed into my consciousness. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” In a way, this is connected with my acceptance of His grace. It took me a while to acknowledge my complete and absolute unworthiness and realise that He loved me inspite of it. Unbelievable but true! But admitting that my sufficiency – all I am and who I wanted to be – was only in Christ, went a step further. I’d never understood what the nailing of the self meant, till I saw this verse with new eyes. I had accepted the fact of my unworthiness but it didn’t stop there. Some painful digging into my soul had to be done till I realised that my sense of self-worth came in believing tha...

They say things come in threes. I beg to disagree – they come in legions! You think the situation is bad and it can’t possibly get worse, when you’re proved wrong and it immediately does! So what does one do when one begins to lose confidence in one’s abilities and strengths? You think you’re good at something and then somebody tells you you’re not. Do you just sit there – quietly slipping into depression or do you bash on regardless? My sense of worth seems to be in imminent danger of disappearing into oblivion. But is my sense of worth based on what people say about/to me? Shouldn’t I be deriving it from His love? I chewed over this for a while and have come to the conclusion that what people say does affect me. But the bright side (there’s a silver lining everywhere, I’m told) is that it isn’t as bad as it used to be. There’s no likelihood of depression at least! So do I go ahead with the bash on regardless tactic then? It’s strange how, sometimes, the right Biblical answers a...

Dear Diary, Finished reading Battlefield Of The Mind * tonight. Couple of things stuck though. 1. Patience is not the ability to wait but to have a good attitude while waiting. 2. Pride vs. Humility: Pride says, “I’m ready now. I don’t need to wait any more. Why is it taking so long?” Humility says, “God truly knows best and I’ll trust Him to bring it to pass in His time. He is never late.” Which just goes to show how way off the mark I was! But lessons learnt are always a good thing – however late in the day! * Battlefield Of The Mind by Joyce Meyer

So many times I’ve questioned certain circumstances And things I could not understand Many times in trials, weakness blurs my vision Then my frustration gets so out of hand Its then I am reminded I've never been forsaken I've never had to stand one test alone That's when I look at all the victories And the spirit rises up in me And its through the fire my weakness is made strong He never promised that the cross would not get heavy And the hill would not be hard to climb He never offered our victories without fighting But He said help would always come in time Just remember when you’re standing in the valley of decision And the adversary says give in Just hold on, our Lord will show up And He will take you through the fire again I know within myself that I would surely perish But if I trust the mighty hand of God, He'll shield the flames again - Gerald Crabb

I prayed for endurance; I received a pride of roaring regal felines! And again, I am ready to turn tail and run in the opposite direction. Yet, He’s holding me firm and pushing me inexorably towards the den, while I feel like digging my heels in and refusing to budge. “Lord, You are a good God,” I cry. “Then how can You make me face this? How can You give me this as my lot in life? Lord, I know these lions can’t be from You. Why are You making me endure this?” And suddenly I remembered the story of Daniel and his own particular set of wild cats. So I went and read it again and found several amazing truths. Firstly, when Daniel realised that he would inevitably be thrown in the den, he didn’t change his habits and practises. He continued to pray three times a day. As far as I know he didn’t sit and weep about his imminent death, neither did he go into depression. Well, that’s something I need to get a grip on. Secondly, the king told Daniel, “Your God whom you serve continually,...

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice… By faith Enoch was taken away … By faith Noah moved with godly fear… By faith Abraham obeyed … By faith Sarah judged Him faithful who had promised… By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau… By faith Jacob worshipped … By faith Moses chose to suffer affliction than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin… By faith Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe… “Through faith…(they) out of weakness were made strong.”