In the long run men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, though they should fail immediately, they had better aim at something high.” Henry David Thoreau
If you keep doing the same thing over and over again you get better at it. This is as true for horse riding as it is for drinking. The only thing that separates them is that the first you can eventually master, the second will eventually master you. The first is a discipline, the second a habit. So why not aim high?
We are made up of the sum of our daily decisions. Like a stained glass window, all the pieces come together to make a picture. The kind of picture depends on how we assemble the pieces. So what are you doing over and over? What would you like to master and what or who masters you?
I don’t know about you but if I were to make my list of things I do over and over, it could be summed up in four little words:
I like doing this
I like writing – so I write, I like cooking – so I cook, I like being with my husband and kids – so I spend time with them. All of these things are good. But what about my bad habits? The things that hold me back and drag me down? What about the things I wish I didn’t do or should be doing more of? These things can also be summed up in a few words:
I don’t like doing this
So why do we get stuck? Even Paul, a man that we know from the Bible had great personal courage and discipline had this to say:
‘I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.’ Romans 7 v16, NIV
Just as gravity pulls us towards the earth and away from the sky, the pull towards something or someone pulls us away from something or someone else. We choose one or another. And we make these choices over and over again. These daily choices can mean the start or the end of a love affair, the beginning of a healthier lifestyle, the end of destructive behavior, the pursuit of excellence, the end of hostilities, more passion, less indifference. A life lived more fully.
So I ask myself, what do I want to master and what or who masters me?
‘The great danger facing all of us is not that we shall make an absolute failure of life… The danger is that we may fail to perceive life’s greatest meaning…miss its deepest and most abiding happiness…be unconscious of life ablaze with the light of the Presence of God’ Phillips Brooks
Whatever the pieces of our lives are like – the good, the bad and the difficult – all the pieces come together to make a picture. And like a stained glass window, the picture comes to life in the light. So why not aim high?
He believes in you!
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Articulate and inspiring a always Claire. xxx
Good afternoon, my friend, Claire,
Once again, your writing, your encouragement feels like it was meant
for me. First, I thank, praise and give the Glory to Our Lord. Second,
Thank you.
I look forward to “Claire’s Tea Party” on my computer!
God bless you and yours,
Jean Scoggins
“Whatever the pieces of our lives are like – the good, the bad and the difficult – all the pieces come together to make a picture. And like a stained glass window, the picture comes to life in the light.
I loved that line so much. Beautiful post.
Beautiful, Claire! I feel as Jaycee did! Thank you.
You are such an encouragement and inspiration to me. I will aim for the highest possible “leap” of faith to overcome my situation!
Love you much – Lynnie
“We are made up of the sum of our daily decisions. Like a stained glass window, all the pieces come together to make a picture. The kind of picture depends on how we assemble the pieces. ” How true this is! You have written an inspiring article, Claire, and have issued a challenge that we all need to hear over and over throughout our lives. If we continue to aim high, eventually we will hit the mark.