Overcoming Daily Obstacles

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" Mathew 7:7

I often find myself guilty of losing faith in my own potential. I try to stay positive, but life events can cloud my direction, and leave me leaning onto my own short term understanding of things. During such times, I have to coach myself back to the reality of the big picture. I have to encourage myself to understand that whatever I'm going through will pass, and that I must continue on the path of my goals.

None of us are perfect, but we must strive to be the best that we can be in any situation. Sometimes, that illumination comes from within, and other times, it can come from the most unlikely of sources. The reality is that, regardless of how difficult the obstacles we face, there are others who are facing even greater obstacles. Such is the overwhelming truth of our existence.

I was once told a story about a soldier who, while patrolling in the jungle for weeks, became miserable because he longed for air conditioning and his soft bed. One day, he ran into a small boy searching for food in a deep part of the jungle. The boy had no shoes, and appeared hungry. The soldier offered the boy his rations, but the boy declined.

Curious, the soldier followed the boy to a small village and found that the boy was not looking for food for himself, but for his parents, who were both disabled and unable to provide food for their son and a younger daughter. He noticed that they all slept on thin mats on the ground, and that there was no running water, or any of the amenities that would make life comfortable.The soldier offered his rations to the family, and days later, encouraged his fellow soldiers to do the same. Each time they fed the family, he noticed that the small boy was the last to eat.

When he questioned the boy, the small boy told him that he got his greatest joy from knowing that his family was taken care of, and that he could not enjoy a meal knowing that there may not be enough for his family. Suddenly, air conditioning and a soft bed did not seem so important, and from that point, whenever the soldier was faced with obstacles in life, he would think of the small boy and his family, and refused to complain.

Think of where you are in life today, and know that your life is indeed blessed, regardless of the circumstances which you are facing.

Have an AWESOME day!

Opportunity Knocks (Open the door!)