BE THANKFUL FOR THE WIND AND RAIN

The fragile little flower looked pleadingly at the gardener. “My leaves are tender and my petals soft. Please plant me where the sun is not so hot and where I will be protected from the evening wind.”

The sturdy little pine looked squarely at the gardener. “The safest spots are now taken. Therefore, plant me where I may daily feel the sun, where the wind and rain will frequently freshen my branches.”

The end of the story of the fragile little flower and the sturdy little pine is well known. The frail flower will not a winter of life spend, while the pine will stand as a sentinel for many generations yet unborn.

How often do we see nature bearing witness to this truth? The over-protected shrivel and perish, while that which has to fight for daily sustenance survives and grows stronger with each conquered trial. Few are the animals which, once having been domestically pampered, are able to live in the rigors of the wild.

There may be some validity in supposing that in man’s realm this law of nature also exists. Hall of Fame baseball players come from the ranks of those rare hitters who not only have success when the opposing pitcher makes a mistake, but who are able to dominate against their adversaries best efforts. The masses that can only visit these honored halls and wonder why they are not among the celebrated few, need look no further than the stats that indicate their successes came only upon the mistakes others made.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to that person who steps off the well-beaten path into uncharted areas where they frequently encounter new challenges and discoveries. The masses toil and are content with their daily wage, never varying their steps from the crowded well-paved way, repeating well worn patterns which provide them with what will turn out to be a short lived feeling of safety and security.

Some are born with intuitive knowledge. Some will learn the great secret later in life. Many will never quite understand. The race of life is won by those who are willing to take a chance, knowing that entering the race opens the possibility of stumbling and losing. When there is no goal, if there is no opponent we can call it exercise, but never a race. For most of us the winning will not come because we finish first, but from the effort we have made and the endless new experiences we have along the way. Henry Kaiser said, “75% of the things he tried ended in failure. He built his empire on the 25% which were successful.”

As we look upon our seeming vacant lot of life and compare it to the lush green pasture of our neighbor, we ought to look at our sparseness as a blessing filled with opportunity and challenges. We should recognize emptiness as a void wanting to be filled. As we are digging, planting and nurturing upon our field it won’t be long before we are able to see the difference in the growth of our stature when compared to our neighbor who lounges lazily on his lawn. We would all profit if we would awaken and view each vague, uncertain dream as a doorway leading to a future of brightness and discovery.

There will be many who periodically look over the rim of their rut and then quickly slump back into the seeming security of sameness. There will be the fortunate few who rise each day filled with enthusiasm whose minds will immediately be filled with such thoughts as ‘this is a glorious time to be alive, a marvelous age in which to live.’ They will plead with the Lord to be guided and helped as they step into uncharted areas where they will find growing and strengthening experiences. They will acknowledge and accept the reality that along this path they will encounter buffetings which leave them temporarily bruised and broken, but provide them with the strengthening opposition that will enable their progress to loftier levels.

We should remember in gratitude He who has provided us with this adventurous and challenging time in which we live which provides us with sufficient wind and rain to strengthen and freshen our lives.