Skip to main content

“Anybody who isn’t being challenged or stretched is probably deteriorating.”

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient: Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.102). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

I have been retired now for over 5 years and I have found this to be very true.  I found early on that if I was going to survive in retirement I needed challenges to keep me moving forward physically, relationally, mentally and spiritually. 

Ray shares, “In 1982, two Soviet cosmonauts broke a record by spending 211 days in space. Television cameras prepared for the two guys to return. A band waited to wave flags and lead the triumphant parade celebrating the accomplishment of communism.

“The door opened. The band played. The people cheered. The television cameras zoomed in. And nothing happened. Weak from months of inactivity, the cosmonauts were unable to stand up. Zero-gravity living had deteriorated their muscles to the point where they had to be carried from their seats. They broke endurance records but could not stand or walk for months because their hearts were no longer strong enough to pump blood even twelve inches to their brains. In response, the Soviets invented a ‘penguin suit,’ which is basically an athletic suit laced with rubber bands that cause constant resistance. By wearing a penguin suit, muscles continue to develop and are spared from atrophy.”

Ray then says, “Let me admit this: I long for a zero-gravity life with no problems, no resistance, no challenges, and no stress, but God knows better. He knows that we need some resistance and some challenges because the easier our lives are, the weaker our spiritual muscles will become.”

James 1:2 – 4 (MSG) says, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true color.  So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”

So how are your challenges developing you?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...
Post a Comment
Read more