In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul writes, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
“For who hopes for what is seen? But, if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” -- (Romans 8, NIV)
To be alive is to have problems.
- Some problems are big.
- Some are small.
Antony Jennings, a management consultant with Zifundise Training, relays the following “Message of the Maples”:
Edgar Jackson is famous for his classic story Message of the Maples, which contains an enduring message for every one of us. The basis for the story came from Jackson's struggle to overcome a huge wall of adversity in his life. Prior to writing the story, Jackson had a stroke and lost his speech.
Edward Zieglar, a Readers Digest writer, was experiencing a number of serious personal problems, and he went to Edgar Jackson for help.
Jackson talked with Zieglar for a while, and then invited him out into his pasture. Jackson walked over to a three acre pasture that was encircled by maple trees planted by the former owner.
Jackson pointed to the trees and explained that the former owner had planted them so that he wouldn't have to set posts for a fence. The owner waited until the trees were sturdy, and then he ran barbed wire from one tree to the next.
Jackson walked from tree to tree with Zieglar, pointing out how different maples had responded to the barbed wire wrapped around their sensitive skin.
- Some trees had incorporated the wires into their trunks, eventually growing around them so completely that the wires appeared simply to run right through them. They grew strong and upright despite the barbed wire.
- But some of the trees had reacted less positively; they were twisted and deformed, and had never gotten over the intrusion of the wires into their tender systems.
People Are Like Maples. Some people encounter problems, adjust to those problems by incorporating them into their lives, and then continue on, growing tall and triumphant in the process.
Others allow their difficulties to twist, distort and ruin their lives. They are like the stunted, deformed trees. Their problems have ruined their lives, and left them smaller, meaner and unhappier. The difference between trees and people is that trees can't choose how they will grow. People can.
May the Lord bless you!
John
