Win The Day

There are moments of courage from men and women that manifest in every day ways. Not talking about those who go to war, special forces, combat or the bravery of first responders. Although, these acts of men and women are very courageous. No, I’m talking about the courage that it takes to take on yourself. Your tendencies, your patterns, your willfulness, your sin.  I’m writing about courageous souls that take action. You see it and hear it, the strength, the courage. It resonates. It grabs something inside, maybe the will, perhaps our resolve, for sure our faith and it straightens the backbone. That sense of strength and character, how it flows unabated...its right and righteous and it gets in you.

I fish the White River in Arkansas now and then...generally once or twice a year, if I’m lucky. The portion of the White River I fish are the waters released from the dam of Bull Shoals Lake. The deep waters generate electricity for the area and for 20 plus miles the water downstream is cold enough for trout to live year-round. There is a whole world and economy built around this anomaly. Cold water in a warm climate, too warm for a trout stream but it’s there and it attracts folks from all over the world. It is also home to some of the largest brown trout ever hooked, landed and their weights recorded.

Climatically - geographically - it shouldn’t be there, but it is!
 
I asked an expert guide one day if the fishing was better morning or evening. He said neither. The fish bite is triggered as the river rises from the release of water from the dam. Morning or evening, summer, fall, winter or spring and it can be any time of day, or night. When the water flows the fish bite.

Courage, fearlessness, and faith often flows to us through the community we have with others. From the well spring of another. When it does, well...I bite, I pay attention.

During a recent conversation, I had a man say to me and these were not his words but this is what he meant. "I won today!"
 
Loved what he said, ‘Didn’t have to put on humility today, just lived humbly out of my heart.’ ‘Didn’t say a thing to anyone that I had second thoughts, regret or remorse about.’ ‘Didn’t respond with anger towards others.’ ‘Didn’t try to manipulate or get my way.’ ‘Didn’t fall to temptation or tendencies.’  

He quoted James the brother of Jesus as a great help from chapter one, “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

If you read on in James you just might get a look into your life. Whether or not, it is a very interesting perspective:

James Wrote:
²² But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude [deceive] themselves.
²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, ]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

You get up every morning. You look into the mirror and it’s shocking, you do something about it. You get a shower, put some product in your hair, shave that scraggly growth off your face or if a lady, put some paint on the barn, rat that hair and a little flash of gold or silver around your neck and on your wrist. Ready to show up for the day, and this is the key, you do something about what you see.

When someone gets a look at who they really are as a person James says, you can deceive yourself. You can walk away! And not do anything about what you saw or heard. Sadly, often we are just a hearer not a doer of God’s word. And regretfully, when we get a good look it really is easier to walk away …

It takes guts to take on yourself. To live a day outside the shadow lands.

So, when you get a look into the mirror and see a reflection of your soul and it’s shocking … don’t walk away.

I pay attention to courageous people. Finding a community of the fearless, the warriors, is so important.  

Of David, Psalm 18:39
You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

Armed with strength from above we can do hard things!
David was the warrior poet who also wrote of the Lord, “you have trained my hands for war and my fingers for battle”.

Often the greatest enemy we will ever face is the duality within, the double minded man. James had a bit to say about that as well. It’s a good read the book of James. Martin Luther the great German Theologian didn’t like the book, he called it an epistle of straw. Said it touted works and not grace. Well, sorry Martin I disagree. Think there’s a lot wood in that book suitable for building life. And there is the strength of grace for those who decide to do something about what they see. A courageous resolve to act and not take a hike.

So, Win The Day. Like my friend.

Let Nothing Disturb You,

Paul