Step By Step

I subscribe to Max Lucado's daily posting, UpWords. For the past several weeks, the postings have come from his new book You'll Get Through This. Given the ups and downs of the past two years, these excerpts have been very good for me. Here is today's:

I like the conversation Bob Benson recounts in his book, See You at the House, about his friend who’d had a heart attack. For a while it seemed his friend wouldn’t make it. But he recovered.

Months later Bob asked him, “How did you like your heart attack?”

“It scared me to death, almost.”
“Would you do it again?”
“No!”
“Would you recommend it?”  Bob asked.
“Definitely not.”
Then Bob asked him, “Does your life mean more to you now than it did before?”
“Well, yes.”
“You and your wife always had a beautiful marriage, but are you closer now than ever?” “Yes.”
“Do you have a new compassion for people—a deeper understanding and sympathy?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you know the Lord in a richer fellowship than you’d ever realized?”
“Yes.”

Then Bob said, “So, how’d you like your heart attack?”

Deuteronomy 11:2 reminds us to remember what you’ve learned about the Lord through your experience with Him.  Do that, my friend, and your mess will become your message!

I can tell you, from recent experience, that as you look back at difficult circumstances, you see where God has carried you, provided for you, healed you and loved you. As God lets us experience His presence, our memories seem to filter out the bad experiences and we look back, gratefully, at the way God has loved us and stayed close to us. Sometimes the path to the top of the mountain seems tedious and strength sapping, but as we pause to look back, we thank God for His help in getting where we are and rejoicing because we can see the our goal, the mountain top. If you are in a tough spot today, join me, step by step - up.