Any runner, cyclist, or truck driver will have experienced this phenomenon. When you are going into a headwind, you notice it. The wind buffets your efforts, you feel every moment of discomfort and pushback. However, when you go back in the other direction, when the wind is at your back, you don’t much think about how it is pushing you along, if you are even mindful of it.
The headwind is constantly fought and on your mind; the tailwind isn’t as noticed and quickly forgotten.
It’s not just a wind issue. The problems and difficulties of life tend to be right in our face, a constant reminder, yet the blessings we receive, the good parts, we tend to let slip away.
Is it any wonder we are miserable?
Right now if I asked you to tell me things that are wrong in your world, you could answer in a moment and probably have a hard time limiting them to five. However, if we really sat down and thought about all we have and how we have been blessed, the list of good to bad would out weight it astronomically.
Next time you curse the headwinds of life, you are wondering why things are so hard, why everything seems so wrong, stop and check the wind. I bet the headwinds of life are not much more than the tailwinds. Count your blessings. Think about the advantages you have. That thankfulness will help to offset the obtrusiveness of life’s problems.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2)
~~ Barry Haynes, Hope AR
Out of love for one another…….
We are currently allowing mask use to be optional during the Sunday morning Bible Study and worship assembly and Wednesday evening Bible study. We recommend that those who are unvaccinated or have personal health concerns to continue to wear a mask. We thank you for your consideration of and care for others. Masks are available if you need one.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV)
Scripture of the Week
2“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.”
12“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” ~ James 1:2, 12Something to Smile About
Shortly after tying the knot, a young married couple started arguing over who should make the coffee. Being a good Christian woman, the wife went to the scriptures for her answer. She said that the Bible specifically stated that men should be the ones to make the coffee.
Puzzled, the husband asked her where in the Bible it said that. Very confidently, the wife opened up her Bible and said: “It’s right here—HEBREWS.”
Think About It
Lessons from a Skunk
Back when I was a teenager, I and my brother were helping my dad with his lake cabin. While I was unloading some plumbing supplies, Gary was pulling off some trim from the crawlspace. Suddenly, my brother let out a yell, and a distinctive smell filled the air. It was the smell of a skunk. It had taken up residence under the cabin.
There is an old saying: “If it smells like a skunk, it is a skunk.”
In our society, it is not unusual for people to label sin as good. But it doesn’t matter how much the spin doctors try to convince us, sin is sin. And those who say otherwise face judgment.
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).– Larry Fitzgerald Woodlawn, church of Christ, Abilene, TX
Highland Lakes church of Christ 