Showing all posts in The Point

Victories never happen by themselves, including the Godly ones. Unless God decides the battle, fighting only wastes time. When God decides to whom the victory should go, the battle must still be fought. God avails opportunity and unlocks doors, but we must step forward, reach out, push open, and take what is offered to us—because victories never happen by themselves.

Sometimes, a gentle push means offering tokens of friendship or demonstrated charity. Sometimes it means showing the truth to someone who misunderstands you. Sometimes it means evicting bad, dangerous people. But, every victory needs taking; and taking means taking.  · · · →

Hard work, achievement, victory, and defeat all come in waves.

Consider how a sand castle gets knocked down. It doesn’t happen slowly and evenly as the tide comes in. One wave after another gets closer and closer until a monster wave comes out of nowhere and washes over the sand castle how an army only dreams of.

Things turn for better just when they look worse and worse just when they look better, then back to better and then back to worse or even better. Progress and decline both swing and leap. They are never linear, but always rewarding foresight.  · · · →

You can’t know whether a thing will work out unless you try it. Three things often try to keep us from trying things that are most likely to work out: fear of being a nuisance, boredom, and bad weather.

If you plans are good, bad people will be annoyed by them. Never fear being a nuisance, hope for it. The good roads are long and boring. Never let a boring road deter you from its destination. And, right before we head off to unearth buried treasure, some thunderstorm always gets jealous. But, bad weather has a way of pulling punches.  · · · →

God prepares tables in the presence of enemies. This is one of the benefits that comes with being a Christian. When Jesus is your friend, he takes his white tux and wraps it around you, right in front of your enemies, just to tick them off.

It might sound insensitive to be so insensitive to mean, cruel, oppressive—well, to enemies. But, flaunting a little lack of concern for people who want to do you harm comforts the soul. Nothing is as reassuring as the Almighty setting up tables topped with white linens and fancy banquets all ready to eat.  · · · →