... being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
There are people in this world I really admire.
It may be the young athletes who compete in the Special Olympics or a 70-year-old marathon runner.
Most of these folks have one thing in common: most of them don't let their disabilities get in their way of trying.
Maybe that's why I admire historian Francis Parkman. For most of his life, Parkman suffered from poor health. He was in such pain he couldn't bear to write for more than five minutes at a time. Adding insult to injury, his vision was so poor he could scrawl only a few large words on each sheet of paper.
Nevertheless, he was able to write The Oregon Trail and nearly 20 other historical books.
When I look at the difficulties that some people have conquered, I stand in awe.
Their courage helps me put the problems that weigh me down into perspective. Of course, their courage is small in comparison to that of the Lord Jesus who loved me enough to live and die to save me.
When I see the service of the Savior -- and even the lesser work of those who have conquered difficulties -- then I know that predicaments that seemed to be insurmountable should be nothing more than an inconvenience.
From a radio studio I can't tell if you feel down today.
But I do know that, sooner or later, you will get depressed. When that day comes, I hope you put your problems in the hands of the Lord, and get inspiration from the Savior who gave His life so your life might be victorious.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us people we can look up to when we are down. Especially, let me see the Savior Jesus, who took all our pains and problems to the cross with Him. May the risen Lord help me deal with the remnant of those hurts. In His Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 16-17 2 Timothy 2
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