Dirty diapers are a very small price to pay in return for the joy of parenting a baby.
And what successful athlete wants to give up competition simply because it takes time to work out and practice?
The fact is that life is a series of trade-offs. If we want the rewards and blessings, investment of effort, patience, resources and cooperation are required.
A successful life is not built upon the shifting sands of luck but instead upon the bedrocks of determination and cooperation.
Part of determination is staying with the task even when circumstances stink.
Sometimes, even literally.
King Solomon owned many thousands of horses and oxen so he knew something about stalls.
He knew that fields weren’t plowed and harvests weren’t transported unless there were oxen to pull the plows and wagons.
With oxen, life was ultimately more affluent.
Even though oxen make big messes in their stalls.
It was a trade-off people were willing to make.
The better lives were more than worth the stinky mess that had to be tolerated and regularly carried away.
“Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.” (Proverbs 14:4)
Listen, dealing with certain people at work or church or school — sometimes even at home — can really stink on occasion.
But if we’re not willing to deal with people who aren’t perfect in word and deed according to our perception, then are we being the kind of people God has called us to be?
What if others decided to avoid us unless we behaved perfectly in their view?
The person who never wants kids in their home or only invites over white-gloved clean freaks or who expects others to never say or do anything of a faux pas nature is going to be a lonely person.
We all make messes that sometimes stink.
Let’s make sure that our lives are beneficial for others so that our blessing to them is more evident than our “messing” of a relationship.
As always, I love you
Martin
Thank you for this powerful message. Please pray that I am a blessing to other believers and non-believers; and not be a block to them. Please help me to overlook others shortcoming and instead pray for them. Please also pray that I be an instrument for Christ, to shine, to be joyful, to be helpful to all the people I rub shoulder with daily. Martin, you are truly God sent and my mentor in Christ from Florida. A huge thank you.
Lorene