by Linda Mose Meadows
“Trials, temptations, disappointments — all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fiber of character but strengthen it…Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.” James Buckham, writer
My dear friend Terry has a great personality and quick wit. On her Facebook wall recently she wrote: “Sometimes you are the statue and sometimes you are the pigeon.” That made me really chuckle. It’s one of life’s truths so artfully stated.
Sometimes life is filled with some surprising and very awkward moments. What are we to do during those unsettling events? Hindsight is truly 20/20 and after the incident is over and the smoke clears and the dust settles, generally we can see when the pigeons landed, the bottom fell out, the dismal situation really unraveled. We can replay the mental tapes and visualize each instance with our “shouldas”, “couldas”.
But how do we dust off with our dignity intact? Well, that’s the six million dollar question, friends. We fall down, but we get up! I think that is the remarkable essence of the survival mode for all of life’s great victors. Survivors – those with resilient spirits understand! Say what you will, think what you wish, there’s no raining on their parade.
Is that you? I surely believe it is! Let’s keep it moving friends, in spite of what appears to be so frightening and disheartening. I declare that today we may appear a little worn around the edges, but we’ll never ever let the pigeons have the last say. We will triumph; we will survive the tough weather, and we will pick ourselves up even if our hats are in our hands! Yes, we will still win with breath in our bodies! We’ll confidently live to see another day, another moment of great possibilities with our dignity intact!
Linda Mose Meadows is the author of The Blessedness of Believing: A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lessons and God’s Promises (Tate Publishing). She’s also a passionate blogger: http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com
