By Chris WittsThursday 4 Jan 2024Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
Wouldn’t it be nice if life was less complicated and more about smooth sailing? Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser once said, “Life was not meant to be easy” and I’m not sure in what context he said these now famous words—but I think he struck a cord with nearly every one of us.
Life has a habit of throwing up difficulties and issues which we’re not particularly wanting to welcome. After all, who wants to experience difficulty anyway? Does anyone go around saying, Let me have more problems today, please ? No, I haven’t met anyone yet. Quite the opposite. I know many people who have had their fair share of trouble, and would welcome less stress and would prefer to be happy with a tranquil life.
Is There a ‘Rock’ In Your Way?
But that’s not the way life goes. Each day there can be at least one obstacle we face, and whatever it is, can come suddenly, without warning, and we’re faced with a decision. How do I handle this issue? Can I overcome this obstacle with any degree of confidence? Yes, you can go to many bookstores to buy self-help books which give you clues on how to meet life head-on—with confidence. Gifted authors by the dozen are keen to disperse their words of wisdom—chapter after chapter—hoping you’ll buy their masterpiece, go home and read it.
And that’s OK. I’m not against that. But what, after all is an obstacle? The dictionary says it means someone or something that stands in the way or holds up progress. And that can mean almost anything that gets in the way of you achieving your goal. But can I say the particular obstacle should be faced sooner or later. Don’t just ignore the problem.
An old farmer had ploughed around a large rock in one of his fields for years. He had broken several ploughshares and a cultivator on this job, and he was getting fed up with this rock that caused him all the difficulties. After breaking another ploughshare one day, and remembering all the trouble the rock had caused him through the years, he finally decided to do something about it. When he put the crowbar under the rock, he was surprised to discover that it was only about six-inches thick and that he could break it up easily with a sledgehammer. As he was carting the pieces away he had to smile, remembering all the trouble that the rock had caused him over the years and how easy it would have been to get rid of it sooner. Very often, we are scared to face up to the issue for fear of what we may find—but I want to assure you life can still be meaningful and fulfilling in spite of obstacles.
You Can Overcome Your Obstacles
We can survive the obstacles even when life is hard. Of course we can throw in the towel and never attempt anything—but God expects us to take control of our own lives and trust him. It can be hard to put into practice, but all negative experiences are opportunities to learn and take control of our own lives. Have you listened to many of the stories of people that have become successful in life? Usually they came from humble beginnings and, against all odds, they overcame their situations. They looked at their current situations and realised that in order to obtain what they have never had, they must do what they have never done. They realised that in order to rise above and out of their current situations, they would need to develop a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude and let nothing get in their way or deter their pursuit of success.
In the New Testament, Peter denied Jesus—basically betraying his friendship. He realised that he had failed Jesus and tried to turn and go back to his normal life. Jesus knew that Peter would be a great man of God once he realised who he was and what his destiny entailed but it was up to Peter to respond. He realised his mistake and overcame it; he didn’t let his mistake overcome him. Peter knew he was a disciple of Jesus, that he had made a mistake, and he stepped back into his calling and fulfilled his purpose—therefore overcoming his obstacle.
Now Judas on the other hand, when he betrayed Jesus, he felt so bad that he hung himself. He let his mistake overcome him and eventually take his life. Judas could have been forgiven because Jesus forgives all that call on him but Judas didn’t think he was worthy of forgiveness—his mistake was too great.
Remember, you are called to greatness and you will have failures, obstacles, rejection, disappointment, hindrances, difficulties, refusal and be told ‘no’—but don’t let anything stop you from becoming the great man or woman of God that you are destined to be. You know that you are called to do a great thing in this life, you see it when you are thinking about your future, you see visions of you doing great things. That’s what your calling is—it’s you becoming what you see in those visions.