"A Journey of a Thousand Miles Must Begin With a Single Step"

- Lao Tzu

There is an old saying that says the first step is the hardest; how true that is.  Let me give you a biblical reference.

I have never taken a thousand mile journey, I don't even believe I have personally taken a thousand one mile journeys.  But I have taken journeys.  On our honeymoon, my wife and I climbed a mountain just outside of Gatlinburg Tennessee... that was a difficult journey but we did it and we were proud when we reached the top that we had completed that journey; and boy the view by the way.  But way back down that mountain, in that parking lot at the base, where we pulled that little Pontiac T1000 (glorified Chevrolet Chevette for those who don't remember this late 1980's car), we had to take a step and get out of the car - that first step.  It all hinged on us taking that first step.

I have been to many mountains in my life.  I have been to the Smoky Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, as well as mountains in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and the Philippines.  But the only mountain I can honestly say I climbed was that mountain on August 23, 1990 outside of Gatlinburg Tennessee with my new bride.  What is the difference between all those mountain trips?  Simple, on August 23, 1990, I got out of the car and took a step, then another, then another, and then a whole bunch more - I took that first step.  All those other mountains, I didn't take that first step.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
-  Winston S. Churchill

Oh what a quote we have today!  Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England during World War II.  Credited with saving the United Kingdom from occupation by the Nazi's.  A man of great wisdom and even greater leadership.  When you think about the quote, it should resonate within you that you must keep on, keeping on!

Success is not final.  I think of one of the greatest (and dumbest) movies I ever saw, Napoleon Dynamite.  I remember the guy, I think it was his uncle, who was a high school football quarterback star.  There is a scene where he is reminiscing about throwing a game winning touchdown and he is explaining how the crowd was going wild and how he threw the ball to the receiver; you remember the scene, he acts out the throw and hits the kid in the side of the head while riding his bike.  Anyway, if you remember, this football star lives in a van down by the river and spends all day reminiscing about his success as a quarterback, achieving nothing in his present life.  Success is not final!  Each of us have achieved some success in our life, business, and family.  That success is temporary and we must start working toward the next success. 

Failure is not fatal.  This is the part of the quote that is most interesting.  Failure in Winston Churchill's day, against the Nazi's, very well could have been fatal.  Anyway, in our life, failure is rarely final.  Failure may hurt, it may cost you money, it may even knock you down for a bit, but it is not fatal.  You can recover and oftentimes arise to even greater success.  In this area I am reminded of a three minute video titled "Finish Strong" available to watch for free at the link provided below.  This video goes into the lives of some extraordinary people who failed and arose to success out of the failure.  I will not divulge the names of the individuals as I encourage you to take three minutes and watch the video (the last one I remember watching on television as it happened)!

Now we come to the last part of the quote, it is the courage to continue that counts.  This is what the video "Finish Strong" resonates in the lives of each of the individuals portrayed.  When you experience failure, pick yourself up and start again!

http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/finish-strong/

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

  “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

- President Theodore Roosevelt

26th President of the United States of America
Governor of the State of New York
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Rough Rider - San Juan Hill
City of New York Police Commissioner
Assistant United States Navy Secretary


This quote from Theodore Roosevelt is quite amazing when you look at what he accomplished during his life.  I listed several things he is known for; I did not list that he lost both his mother and wife on the same day (February 14, 1884), nor that he lost a son in Germany during World War I, nor that during his second bid for Presidency (which he lost to Woodrow Wilson) there was an assassination attempt on his life in which he was shot in the chest.  Even through all of these horrible life events, he achieved the goals I listed above, as well as many other achievements.

Now that you know a little more about the man who said, "do what you can, with what you have, where you are", I hope it resonates in you that your life does not need to be perfect, or even good, to be successful! 

The first part of this quote says "Do what you can".  That is not hard - don't do any more than you can, but don't do any less either.  Simply do what you can do!

"With what you have"; don't worry about not having abilities others have.  Don't worry about not being born with a "silver spoon in your mouth".  Just simply use what you have.  Every one of us are unique, God gave each and every one of us individual abilities, talents, and skills.  Use what you have!

"Where you are"; every one of us is in a different place (physically, mentally, emotionally, financially).  Bloom where you are!  Even if the grass looks greener in someone else's circumstances and you wish you were in their situation, remember Erma Bombeck wrote a book several years ago titled "The Grass is Always Greener over the Septic Tank".  That other person's life may look better than yours, their situation may appear more desirable, they may even be more successful than you and making far more money than you do; but it may all be (you know what) just under the surface.

Today's spiritual application is to look at some of the men and women of the Bible who accomplished great things doing what they can (with God's help - who, by the way, says that you can do "ALL THINGS" through Christ), with what they had, where they were.

Moses - born into slavery, raised by royalty, fled for his life after murdering a man, lives on the backside of the desert for 40 years, who at the age of 80 confronted the most powerful man on the planet of their time and lead out an entire nation from slavery.

David - a runty shepherd boy who, in the presence of the warriors of his country who were quivering in their boots, took on a giant of a man and slew him with a child's toy and a smooth stone.

How about the Apostles - 11 men who watched as their leader was crucified, hidden away in a room because they knew they would be next, who litterally turned the world upside down before they died.

Life is Like Riding a Bicycle. To Keep Your Balance, You Must Keep Moving. - Albert Einstein

Nothing living, that quits moving ever gets better.  Keep moving forward, even when the challenges seem overwhelming.

A moving target is harder to hit than a moving target.  Remember those days going to a fair and playing that Old Western Shooting Gallery?  For a few dollars, you get to shoot a rifle at several different targets, racking up points for each hit.  Some of the targets were stationary while other targets were moving.  The stationary targets were never worth as many points as the moving targets; moving targets are harder to hit! 

Don't be stationary, keep moving!  Set a goal and work toward that goal.  Don't stop moving, keep going, even when the resistance seems to great.