Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday January 30, 2007

I don't know about you, but I sure get tired of trying to work with people. Oh, get me right, I love the preaching, teaching and even mentoring, but the folks that really get me wound up are the ones to whom nothing is ever satisfactory, nothing is the way they would do it. Having so many over the years who have never done anything but whine, and a few of these with enormous talent in some field, who just let their opportunity slip through cranky fingers, troubles me greatly.

The Great Blonde who has invested her entire adult life and a few of her teen years in molding yours truly into some sort of real man the Lord could use, opined as to why I get so troubled over today's subject. In her wisdom and honey tongue she said, "Larry you have this constant problem because you are a pigmy in your heart, you are a small man, otherwise this complaining of others would not bother you so." I told you she is a real sweetie!

I admit to being a henpecked hubby, but keep mind I am a well read henpecked old boy. Thus I came up with the following to point out that many other great men also felt and feel the same way I do about the 'armchair quarterbacks' we all face no matter what we do as a calling. Take the following for instance:

"The human race is divided into two classes, those who go ahead and do something, and those who sit still and inquire; why wasn’t it done this way?" Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Mr. Holmes chose the highroad and accomplished something during the course of his life, I am not aware of the names of all those who thought he should have done it differently.

During this life in whatever field the Lord has called you to labor, there will be hills and valleys, accolades and critics. One of my keys to victorious living is to force myself to focus on Jesus and keep on trucking. I learned this from the story of Caleb many years ago. When he was eighty five years of age he began to claim the promise the Lord had made unto him through Moses and said, "I want this mountain." It was given to him because Joshua testified that Caleb had 'wholly' followed the Lord.

Most of us fail to get even close to our potential due to our worrying about the opinion of others should we fail, or if we are following steps of which they approve in the achievement of our stated goals. The acid test is not the opinion of others for if they are wholly following the Lord they will be too busy to critique your efforts along the same line. Following the Lord requires undivided attention and the focusing our natural and God enabled abilities to the task, conquering the mountain the Lord has given to us.

When we 'wholly' follow the Lord we are not doing it 'our way' or even 'their' way, we are doing it "His" way.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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