Mark Sorensen I love a story I read recently in pastor Charles Swindoll’s book, Standing Out.
Swindoll tells the story that there were four friends who decided to go mountain climbing one weekend. In the middle of the climb, one of the friends lost his footing, slipped over a cliff and landed with a thud about 40 feet below. The other three – hoping to rescue their friend – shouted over the side, “Joe, are you OK?” After a pause, thankfully, a voice responded, “I’m alive… but I am pretty sure I broke both of my arms!” Without hesitation, Joe’s friends holler back, “Just lie still. We’ll drop you a rope and pull you up!”
After a couple of minutes, his friends lowered the rope to him and when they felt a tug, they began working on pulling their wounded companion back up to safety. However, when they had him about three-fourths of the way up, they suddenly remembered he said that he had broken both arms. One of the friends shouted down to Joe, “Hey, I thought you said you had broken both of your arms. How in the world are you hanging on?” Joe responded, “With my TEEEEEEEEETTTTTHHHHHH….….”
That’ll preach.
Maybe you can relate? Maybe you’ve found yourself in a situation or circumstance where you feel like you’re barely hanging on. Let me encourage you today. William Barclay, a Scottish minister and professor, said this regarding endurance:
“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.”
Last Sunday, we began with the opening chapters of Esther’s story. Remember, even though Esther is the only book of the Bible where God’s name is not found, it does not mean that God was absent in her story. Just the opposite…God was working behind the scenes in some pretty amazing ways. This Sunday, we’ll continue and we’ll talk about the reality of hardships and the glory that’s found within the battle and in the endurance, giving God the glory.
Grace and peace, friends.
