"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change. And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam. Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride...God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved" (Psa. 46:1-6).
Hey Gang: Do you
believe that God is your refuge and strength?
Do you believe that the joy of the Lord is your strength? While in Korea one of my fellow Airman was a
body conditioning specialist. He
diligently worked out for an hour or more each and every day and one could
readily see the fruits of his labors. My
speed was to just lift the bar that he placed the weights on. But contained within this magnificent body
was a spirit of timidity and fear. Not
only did he live in constant darkness but had closed his mind and heart to the
One who could fix his problem.
I learned very early in my work with children with problems
there was not only a common denominator in the children that came my way, but
also their parents - that common denominator was "fear and anxiety"
which held them in bondage. Although I
was not a psychologist or psychiatrist I knew in my heart that if I was going
to be successful in leading the child out of the wilderness, I must find a way to introduce he and his
parents to The Way to send Satan packing
from their lives.
In the early tenure of working with children and families, I
must admit I was not too bright; I felt I had some sort of "S" on my
chest. I had the answer and, if people
would only do it my way, they would find joy, peace and healing in their
lives. And then one day, by accident, I
ran into a youngster that was similar to a volcano which erupted
frequently. In other words he was a
"horse of a different color" and my 'modus operandi' was not getting
the job done. then God sent a miracle my way.
One morning, soon after he had begun his day, he presented
his best Mount Helens star-winning explosion.
But instead of my getting in his face, I came in the back door and totally
changed the subject, I congratulated him for his successful climb on our towers
the previous day. I asked him how he
felt when he reached the top of the climbing wall and as he answered I could
see the hardness draining from his face.
After he was settled and under control I made the following
suggestion to him: it is eight o'clock a.m.
and you go to bed at ten p.m. You have a choice to make, you can enjoy another
neat experience like you just described to me or you can have me in your face
all day. He chose the former. He learned a wonderful lesson that morning
but, equally important so did I. Did we
talk about his explosion, yes, a day or so later when we were talking from a
positive platform and I could make it a learning experience.
Soooo, I also learned
early, in my tenure with broken lives, that success can be a break through experience. And, with
patience and understanding, I can orchestrate an experience where the person
can be successful and I can honor and encourage them. That is half of the success story; the other is to remind that person of their
success over and over again. There is no
better treatment tool than to know that someone really cares about me. Find someone that is hurting today and try my
method ; see if it works as well for you.
Blessings,
Gramps
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