Founder's Message Archive
You can read past editions of our Founder's Message. Visit our Founder's Message Archive by
clicking on the button below.
Bridging the Gaps
June 9, 2004
Welcome to Change Your
World!
Hello. My name is
Courtney Huntington, and I am the founder of Change Your World.
We have all known times
when we have struggled to keep afloat, when treading water was all we
could do. We wanted to progress and prosper, but all we could do was
keep from drowning—and even that required an intense struggle.
These struggles range all
over the board, from financial to spiritual, from physical to mental.
Some struggle in their relationships. Others struggle in their
businesses. Some struggle with punctuality. Others struggle with anger.
Sometimes when we struggle, it is only for a short time. Other times,
it is a long time before we gain victory.
When we face these
circumstances, these gaps, if you will, between where we are and where
we want or need to be, it can be easy to despair. The good news is that
we don't have to stay where we are. If we realize where we are weak,
where we need to improve, we already have the first piece of the
bridge. Zig Ziglar says, "You cannot solve a problem until you
acknowledge that you have one and accept responsibility for solving it"
(Over the Top 257). If we
recognize where we are and that it is a problem, we are already
progressing through the problem and beyond it. Here is Zig Ziglar
again: "If you don't like who you are and where you are, don't worry
about it, because you're not stuck either with who you are or where you
are. You can grow. You can change. You can be more than you are" (Over the Top 59). We're not stuck
where we are! Isn't that encouraging?
Thomas À Kempis
was a monk in the early 1400s, when he is credited with writing the
classic book of devotion Of the
Imitation of Christ. Much of the book is focused on personal
devotion, discipline, and improvement—in imitating Christ. In Book I,
Chapter 19, he addresses the challenges of overcoming obstacles in
striving for right living. He says,
According
to our purpose shall be the success of our spiritual profiting; and
much diligence is necessary to him that will profit much. And if he
that firmly purposes often fails, what shall he do that seldom purposes
any thing, or with little resolve? It may fall out sundry ways that we
leave off our purpose; yet the light omission of our spiritual
exercises seldom passes without some loss to our souls.
In other words, he says
that we must not give up. We will fail sometimes. We will fall in the
journey. But falling while trying to do good is better than not trying
at all. We must continue to be diligent in changing for the better, or
we will have no hope of improvement. If we don't move at all, we cannot
move forward. Of course, it is not possible to stand still in this area
of life. If we are not getting better, we are getting worse. Notice
À Kempis's final sentence: "The light omission of our spiritual
exercises seldom passes without some loss to our souls." I believe he
understates the case here. I believe that the light omission of our
spiritual exercises never
passes without some loss to our souls. Thankfully, even a light
omission may be merely one of the times we fall on the journey, and we
can get back up from that fall, just as we can from the others. If we
realize we have lightly omitted some important exercise, then we made
the first move in rising again to continue the journey.
The journey of life is a
difficult one, and we will face setbacks and failures throughout our
lives—especially if we are striving for great positive change. À
Kempis wrote a wonderful, powerful section titled "Of the Zealous
Amendment of Our Whole Life." To quote the entirety would be too long;
it is one of the longer chapters in the entire work. One small section
must suffice. Please read carefully and notice the connections:
One
thing there is that draws many back from a spiritual progress, and the
diligent amendment of their lives; that is, extreme fear of the
difficulty, or the labor of the combat. However, they above others
improve most in all virtue, who endeavour most to overcome those things
which are most grievous and contrary unto them. For there a man
improves most and obtains greater grace, where he most overcomes
himself and mortifies himself in the spirit.
But all men have not equally much to overcome and
mortify. Yet he that is zealous and diligent, though he have more
vices, shall profit more than another that is of a more temperate
disposition, if he be less fervent in the pursuit of all virtue. Two
things especially much further our amendment, to wit. To withdraw
ourselves violently from that to which nature is viciously inclined,
and to labor earnestly for that good which we most want. Be careful
also to avoid with great diligence those things in yourself, which do
commonly displease you in others.
Gather some profit to your soul wherever you are; so
as if you see or hear of any good examples, stir up yourself to the
imitation of it. But if you observe anything worthy of reproof, beware
you do not the same. And if at any time you have done it, labor quickly
to amend yourself. As your eye observes others, so are you also noted
again by others. (Chapter 25)
To comment on this
powerful section in its entirety would be too much for this Founder's Message, so I will
reserve much of my commentary for a later message. For now, I draw your
attention three things. First, one major thing that holds people back
from progress is fear. They are afraid of how hard it will be. They are
afraid to try and fail. They don't want to work hard to attain positive
change. Have you ever decided not to do something worthwhile merely
because of how foolish you might look if you struggled or failed?
That's "fear of the difficulty." And it's only one example of many. Can
you think of more?
Second, the people who
improve most are those who "endeavor most." I believe it was Oswald
Chambers who said, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things
for God." We ought to be trying to overcome as much as we possibly can.
As we do, we ought to expect great help from God, directly and
indirectly through those he puts in our lives.
Third, wherever we are,
we can gather profit to our souls. No matter how bad things are, we can
learn and grow in that circumstance. No matter how hard the fall, no
matter how big the gap, we can profit from the experience. Sometimes,
we have little hope of bridging the gap until we recognize the profit
we have already received from the situation.
Robert G. Allen, author
of the bestselling books Nothing Down
and Creating Wealth, suffered
a horrible bankruptcy in the mid-1980s, after he had already achieved
great prosperity. An avalanche destroyed his mountain cabin, and the
insurance didn't cover it because it was considered an act of God. For
months, Allen tried to stay afloat, as bill collectors, bankers, and
others bombarded him with notices. He was bitter, frustrated, and
angry.
One day, he learned that
his wife was in a car accident on the day of the avalanche. He hadn't
known about it all those months, as it got lost in the flurry of
activity. His wife was heading up the mountain to the cabin when the
accident happened. She was going to prepare the cabin for their
anniversary celebration. Another car was coming down the mountain, and
they collided. No one was
seriously injured, but she wasn't able to get to the cabin to finish
her preparations.
When Allen heard this
story, he realized how blessed a man he was. If his wife had made it to
the cabin, she would have been in the cabin when the avalanche hit. She
would not have survived. Allen realized then that he had so much to be
thankful for, and he had focused all those months on what he had lost,
not realizing that he could have lost so much more. His conclusion is
this: Whatever happens, be thankful. When he decided to be thankful,
his situation started to improve. Could it be coincidence? Possibly,
but I don't believe so. Neither does Robert G. Allen. Start bridging
the gaps in your life; start being thankful, no matter what.
With many blessings and
wishes for successful positive change,
Courtney Huntington
Founder
|
