Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Failure
* Scripture: But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached (Jesus) and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." (Luke 10:40, NKJV)

One would think that holiday seasons would be the happiest times of the year. Not so, many researchers suggest. Rather than times of relaxation and rejoicing, remembrance and celebration, holidays are periods of intense stress for many people. Why so?
For one thing, there are many Marthas in this world, "soul kindred," distracted with much serving. This is one of those 'tight rope' areas, I know. We walk a very narrow line, here, between duty and dereliction. Balance is a key word. Should Mary have helped Martha? Probably. Would Jesus have severely criticized Martha if something wasn't perfect, like if the towels didn't match, or if the table cloth had a spot on it? Probably not. It's all about friendship, not fatigue!
Martha doesn't seem to share in the joy of this occasion. She appears to be rather stressed out, fearing failure as a good hostess. Was Jesus perhaps there to be pampered, or to critique Martha's hospitality for a five-star rating? I doubt it. Perhaps He was instead thinking, "Hey, I came for a visit, let's enjoy it."
Failure is "laboring for the wind," claims the 'Preacher" of Ecclesiastes, to eat in darkness, with much sorrow and sickness and anger. (Ecc. 5:16-17)
There is likely little that you can do to make an old grouch satisfied. The grouch is longing, expecting to eat in darkness, with much sorrow and sickness and anger, and will go to extremes to obtain his goal. Like a pig, if you wallow in their mud, you will both end up 'dirty.' So move on down the street; let the pig - er, grouch, wallow in bitterness and self-pity.
Life is too short to wallow in bad things when there are so many good things to celebrate.
Many people have the "movie set syndrome." On-screen, the camera shows perfection, the perfect house, the ideal standard to strive for. It is instead just a front, a sham, a wall with nothing but props behind it to hold it up. You wouldn't, you shouldn't want to live there. Do you have four walls - and a roof? Be glad!
I recall the quotation:

"A man's reach must exceed his grasp,
else what's a heaven for."

It is one thing to be inspired, to strive, yet,

"Ideals are stars to guide us,
not clubs with which to beat ourselves."

Striving, reaching is not by itself our downfall, but to be consumed by striving for the truly impossible without rejoicing in the possible - that is failure.
We are, perhaps, at times like the mice that I sometimes find in my barn. They have acquired the food supply of their wildest dreams - at the bottom of the grain barrel, from which there is no escape.
Failure is like climbing a mountain, only to be stopped by an impassable obstacle, then, to gaze dismally at the peak, out of reach, rather than turning and rejoicing in the view from the height that you have attained.
Failure is to worry, worry, worry about your next breath, when you should be rejoicing about the breaths that you have already taken.
True failure is to wallow in despair over what has not been done, instead of rejoicing over what has been accomplished.
Failure is anger at what has been lost, rather than joy at what has been found.
Failure is like standing at the door, frustrated, with a dead battery in your radio car keyset, when all you need to do is to insert the key in the lock, the old fashioned way.
Rejoice! It shall be opened.
Do not be distracted by much serving and striving for the winds of the world.
Seek ye the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.
December 31, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

SCRIPTURE: Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” James 5:7-8, NIV.

Mention the word “patience” and many people will associate it with the Biblical Job, Patriarch of Uz, in the Old Testament. Someone who endures in the presence of difficulty is said to “Have the patience of Job,” and we nod knowingly. Resorting to my dictionary, I find patience defined as "bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint.”
However, my reading of the Book of Job suggests that Job is restless or short of temper especially under irritation, delay, or opposition, which sounds like the definition of impatience! In fact, my references do not indicate that a word directly meaning “patience” is found in the entire Book of Job. I will grant that Job is "steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity,” but to me, Job personifies perseverance. It is one thing to patiently wait; it is another to actively push forward, which he does.
Job endures. He is steadfast, he “hangs in there,” he persists in defense of his innocence, and pursues God until he receives an answer. While I find passages alluding to Job’s righteousness (Job 1:1,5,8) and fortitude (1:20-22; 2:10), I find none that refer to his patience. This I say neither to discredit Job, nor to imply that he is not without his virtues, but to suggest that there is more depth to this story than the mere word "patience," a word that is not actually used in the telling. Also, I fear that many confuse patience with complaisance, the calm or secure satisfaction with oneself or one's lot.
James writes about “patience” in terms of the farmer waiting for the land to yield its valuable crop, and advises us as brothers and sisters in Christ to “be patient and stand firm.” However, the farmer has already prepared the field and planted the seed, in faith believing that the seed will sprout, grow and yield much harvest. (James 5:7-11) I note, also, that while the text uses the Greek word for “patience” in verse 7, James used a different word meaning “perseverance,” or “steadfastness” when referring to Job in verse 11, saying, “you have heard of Job’s perseverance!”
Consider the “Parable of the Sower” as told by Jesus, in Mt. 13:1-23. His emphasis is on what happens to the seed. When I plant a seed, I know that I can do nothing to change the process by which the seed sprouts and the plant develops. I must patiently wait; this is God's realm. However, I can control how the soil is prepared, where the seed is planted, and assure that proper moisture and nutrition are provided. My active perseverance in safeguarding the growth medium in which the seed sprouts will indeed determine whether the plant grows to fruition, or withers and dies. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “after you have done everything, (then) stand” (Eph. 6:13)
Considering the "Seed of the Word of God" planted in us, we must patiently wait upon the Lord, but not to the extreme that we do not actively grow. When the withering sun comes out, ie., the “heat” of opposition, difficulty, or adversity, do we fold our leaves - er, hands, and say, “I'm being patient, LORD; Do something!” Or do we actively, vigorously, put down deeper roots? Job neither withered nor died. He came out stronger, which is a growth process, not passive waiting for something to happen.
Patience is indeed necessary, and a virtue that we should cherish. I am reminded of the prayer, “Lord, grant me the courage to change the things I can change, the patience to endure what I can not change, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
If I err in my judgment of Job’s perceived patience, I will do so in the direction of active perseverance. Standing firm is not the same as sitting passively. May we never be found guilty of complaisance in our walk with the Lord.
February 1, 2004

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Paul wrote, “... We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3,4, NIV

A “few” years back a popular song illustrated the potential of perseverance. “Everyone knows an ant - can’t - move a rubber tree plant,” so the song went. But she had “High Hopes,” so, “there goes another rubber tree plant.”
It was a catchy tune, somewhat wacky, and no doubt had many people humming or singing along, but it none the less proffered the potential of perseverance bolstered by “High Hopes.”
We need a lot of that in our daily walk! Nowhere does it say that we shall find paradise this side of “The Garden.” Show me the place, chapter and verse, that the Bible presents anyone whose life is a romp through the roses.
Adam, Abraham, Moses, Job, Naomi and Ruth - they all persisted in spite of often overwhelming odds.
Job is often held up as the epitome of “patience.” In fact, the word so translated as patience is not found in the Book of Job, and only once in the Old Testament, where we are admonished to “wait patiently for the Lord.” (Psalms 37:7)
Patience is passive waiting, still a valuable quality of character. Persistence and perseverance, on the other hand, are active words. The ant mentioned above did not sit patiently, waiting for that plant to move. No, that ant was persistent, and persevered in the attempt of overcome the inertia of the plant, and “Whoops! There goes another rubber tree plant!”
Let me coin a phrase: “One test does not a failure make.” In fact, coming up short, or with the incorrect answer, is not a failure, but an elimination of one possibility on the way to success. “The thing to try when all else has failed is - “Again.” The great inventor, Thomas A. Edison, once commented that he had discovered hundreds of things that did not work. These were not failures, in the truest sense, but stair steps in the climb toward knowledge of a working solution to the problem at hand.
The success stories in the Bible are not those of people who had smooth sailing in life, but of those who “hung in there.” Those who achieve the goal of fellowship with the Lord and Father are those who actively seek Him, who persist in time of trial and tribulation, who persevere through the briars and brambles of life.
No, you will not find the actual words persistence and perseverance in the King James Bible Concordance, but I am insistent that the examples are there, “pressed down and running over.” Patience is needed to stay the course, to find answers, but you must actively and persistently seek them out. Good hunting!
September 7, 2003