Living in a Right-Hand World ~Jay Launius. Maud, TX Church of Christ~
I’m left handed and throughout my life it has been a source of both inconvenience and at times down-right difficult. For instance, when I started school as a kid the desk we sat at were right-handed, totally opened on the left side. When I tried to write or draw my left arm was up in the air, and had no support. Other school supplies caused some frustration as well, the spiral bound notebook for example. That spiral wire is right in the way of my left hand. Everyday utensils that are geared for a right-hand world. Scissors are a source of constant frustration, try using a pair of scissors to cut fabric using you’re left hand and it’s like a tooth-less dog trying to eat a bone, it gnaws at it but nothing happens! Other items seem to cater to the “righties” like a computer mouse, musical instruments and even firearms. There are the names associated with being left handed, “leftie” and “southpaw” come to mind. I’ve always wondered why we don’t have “right-paws”. Yep, it’s a right-handed world alright, geared to the majority.
If you think about it, being a Christian is a lot like being left-handed. Christians are not in the majority and sometimes find it hard to fit into a non-Christian world. We are to be unique, different, not conformed to the world around us (Romans 12:1-2). We are to be “peculiar” people (Titus 2:14 AKJV) who refuse to fit into the mold of a sinful society. Take a look at your life and ask yourself, “Am I so different that those around me can tell or do I just fit in with everybody else?” We are to be so different that others notice and ask why we are not quite like everyone else. Notice Peter’s comment, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear,” (1 Peter 3:15). One of the judges of Israel was a unique individual by the
name of Ehud ( . Ehud was wise, a good planner and he was left-handed and by looking at his example we can see just how important it is to be a unique child of God.
________________________________________________________________
The Fastest Man ~Jonathan Anderson , Smithville, TN Church of Christ~
Usain Bolt is the fastest man who ever lived. He holds the world records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints, and he is also a part of the fastest 4 x 100 team ever. It takes vision, purpose, and grit to spend four years training for a nine-second race, especially in a world where patience is lacking and when people who don’t see results after a month or two give up and quit.
“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained.” (Proverbs 29:18 NASB) Four years is a long time to train for such a short race. Your vision is what keeps you inspired and motivated to keep training when you don’t want to or don’t feel like it. Purpose is why we do what we do. Usain Bolt’s purpose was to become the fastest man in the world. Knowing what he wanted to do and why he wanted to do it helped keep him focused through the four-year journey and grind. Having a meaningful purpose can help you stay focused on the things that matter most to you, it helps prioritize your life, and it helps you walk away from things that don’t serve your purpose. Grit is having the passion and perseverance to do hard things. Training for an Olympic race is a hard, grueling process. It requires a lot of grit to stay on track and to keep pushing yourself, especially when you don’t feel like working out. Another characteristic that is necessary to become great is patience. Patience is just not only the ability to wait or to endure something, but also consists of keeping a good attitude while waiting and enduring. One of the things that separate good athletes from great athletes is their ability to be patient as they continue to work hard to achieve their goals. Usain Bolt had to be extremely patient during the time between his Olympic races but that didn’t stop him from working hard. “Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9 NIV)
Leave a Reply