"If" by Rudyard Kipling (Part 5)

I love the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling . . . thirty-two lines of wisdom that provide possibly the best instruction in manliness (why not womanliness, too?) written by a father to his son. The father concludes that if  his son will assimilate this good advice into his conduct, then

"Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

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Today we're looking at the next two lines, as follows:

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
and treat those two impostors just the same;

Notice Kipling capitalizes Triumph and Disasters. He could have as easily put them in quotation marks. Don't we sometimes maximum our triumphs and disasters? Aren't we often swept away by them? 

 

We mustn't think too highly of ourselves. Nor should we think too lowly. The best among us falls short of the glory of God. Likewise, we shouldn't think too highly of our triumphs--nor magnify our disasters.

We are here to serve God and bring glory to Him. Therefore, rather than focus on the results of our earthly endeavors, rather than put confidence in the flesh, we should focus on serving Him. We can learn from the Apostle Paul.

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize

for which God has called me heavenward

in Christ Jesus."

~ Philippians 3:13-14

 

We should simply obey God's call to serve. At the proper time, He will honor us with a "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." And that good word will mean more to us than all the acclaim the world can muster. So when Triumph or Disaster come your way, treat them both the same--forget about them and press on . . . .

 

Unexpected Blessings

Sometimes God blesses us in unexpected ways by giving us things we've never even thought to ask for, much less want. Such is true of special needs.

Usually people like to feel special--set apart in a way that society honors, like being especially intelligent or especially good at athletics. But when it comes to being different in a way that society disses, like being especially unintelligent or especially bad at athletics or especially needy, then we have to work hard to drum up any kind of enthusiasm.

Why should that be? After all:

• God created mankind in the garden and proclaimed him very good!  He didn't say that some people were very good and some were not.  
• In Psalm 139:14 we read that man is fearfully and wonderfully made. Scripture doesn't say that some people are wonderfully made and some are not. 
• In Exodus God acknowledges that some people are mute or deaf or blind. And He takes credit/blame for that. In fact, in the gospel of John, Jesus said that the man born blind from birth was made just that way so that the works of God would be made manifest in him.

We who read our Bibles know these verses yet sometimes revert to the world's thinking when it comes to people with "special needs." Looking out for them (Philippians 2:4) is one thing, but pitying them disrespects God's handiwork and misses what He is doing through them.

We need to get over the notion that a child born with any kind of anomaly is undesirable. We say "I don't care if it's a boy or girl, so long as it's healthy." Shouldn't we rather say, "I don't care if it's a boy or girl so long as God gets glory from my child's life?" Healthy or not, we are each to live our lives in such a way that others will see our good works and glorify the Father who is in heaven.

There is much we don't understand as we look through the glass darkly.  But one thing is sure: we are all fearfully and wonderfully made, made in His image, and waiting for the Lord's return. At that time we will understand and appreciate all His blessings, even the unexpected ones.

"Beloved, now are we the children of God,

and it doth not yet appear what we shall be,

but we know that, when he shall appear,

we shall be like him;

for we shall see him as he is."

~I John 3:2

Our Gifts and How We Use Them

Scripture tell us that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. Since we know Scripture to be true, the question is this: Do we use those good and perfect gifts for our own glory or for His? 

Our answer ought to be: We use His gifts for His glory. As children of the Father of heavenly lights, we are to reflect His light before men in order that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. 

Are you doing that? Ask yourself:

What are my good and perfect gifts (talents)? 

Do I use them for God's glory or my own?

Have I received talents I've not yet explored? 

Have I been given opportunities I've not yet pursued?

Remember the song we sang as children:

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine,

let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel . . . no!

I'm gonna let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel . . . no!

I'm gonna let it shine,

let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Life is a vapor: we can't claim tomorrow. Therefore, if we want to make our lives count for eternity, we must remember to use the gifts God gives us today and let our lights shine brightly!