While I wasn't smiling, at least initially, when I broke my elbow, I
was keenly aware that the recuperation period ahead of me was like an
open door to an old fashioned schoolhouse. I wanted to enter in and
glean everything I could from the experience and the weeks ahead. I
didn't fear surgery, pain, or physical therapy nearly as much as the
thought of wasting what was suddenly available. And so the three and
a half months just past have been wonderful in the sense that I had a
chance to live out the lesson Graham Cooke taught from his podium;
they were like a lengthy lab session, practical application of the
notes I took in the lecture. And while I am coming out of the class
with a host of lessons learned, perhaps the most valuable aspect of
the experience is that it serves as a model of how to approach
similar experiences in the future. The Bible warns that in this life
we will have difficulty, so it is best that we be prepared for
whatever comes our way and welcome every opportunity to advance in
that regard.
One of the benefits of having so much time off was that I had time to
try a breakfast cafe that I had been wanting to visit for years. I
liked it so much on the first visit that I went back often in the
weeks that followed. Because it is always crowded, more often than
not I've taken a seat at the counter to leave any tables that come
available for larger groups. And as I've waited for my food, I've had
a chance to notice a large juicer against the back wall. Periodically
a server comes along and drops several oranges from a huge basket of
the same into a hole at the top. The fruit is then pressed through a
maze of gears and roller bars while the freshly squeezed juice fills
an empty pitcher that waits for it under the spout at the bottom. The
server then grabs the pitcher and fills the glasses of the thirsty
patrons in the room.
My life is that juicer, and the basket of oranges are the problems
I'll encounter as I go through my days, each packed with potential
sweetness encased in difficulty. My challenge is to take each problem
as it comes and squeeze every ounce of goodness out of it, discarding
the pulp and peel and delighting in the resultant refreshment that
enriches my days and those of the people around me. Maximizing my
yield in that regard then depends on my attitude as much as my
action, my resolve to make the most of every opportunity my problems
represent.
When we make the effort to make every experience count, we make our
lives count for something, too.
“...hold
fast to the good.”
(1
Thessalonians 5:21 MKJV)
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