Monday, July 14, 2008

Elephants, Acrobats and Life

Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Over the weekend, I had the privilege of going to the circus with my wife and two of our children. I have always enjoyed the variety of the circus with its various animal acts, clowns and displays of human daring. The physical capability of many of these performers is simply astounding.

One of the intriguing things for me was to see the children of performers I had watched nearly 30 years ago performing. These acrobats and daredevils have grown up in the life of the travelling circus. Their unique feats of human ability have been passed on from one generation to the next, but these abilities didn’t just happen because mom and dad had those abilities.

From a young age these performers are taught the fundamentals of their particular skill set (trapeze, tightrope, juggling, etc…). Once the fundamentals of balance, hand-eye coordination and timing were mastered other components of the act could be added. As these more difficult components were mastered they were enhanced with other feats of daring. Our lives operate in a similar vein:

Philippians 4:9 (NLT)
Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.

The Bible instructs us to put into practice what has been learned. Our knowledge of God and His ways is of little use if we do not transfer it into our daily lives and apply it. It has been said that “knowledge without application is simply information; however, knowledge with application brings about transformation.” An amazing transformation takes place when we put into practice the principles of Scripture and the example of those God has placed before us. We move from a place of inability to a place of victory, because we have followed God’s timeless principles for life.

Today you may find yourself high above the arena floor stepping out on the tightrope of life. Remember walking the tightrope is no different than every other step you’ve taken in your life, it occurs one step at a time with one foot going before the other. Trust the foundation that has been developed in your life and step forth with confidence. Keep your focus on fixed point in your life…the very presence of God.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

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