Chris' Christian Blog

July 24, 2018

"July 24, 2018" 

"Prompt: When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves. Viktor E. Frankl
Have you found this to be true? In what way have you found it to be true or false?"

I have found this to be very true. When I encounter a situation that I cannot change I often find that I have some choices to make. I can either complain and whine about the situation and refuse to accept it for what it is or I can change myself to adapt to the situation. It often seems easier to whine and complain but that really solves nothing. In fact it usually makes things worse. God gives us these trials to stretch us and help us grow. I was a weight lifter at one time. I have since had back surgery and can no longer lift weights. However when I did lift weights I would always go home very sore. That was because in order to grow new muscle the old muscles had to be stretched. This resulted in pain. The more pain there was the bigger the new muscle would be. Life is similar. We have to stretch those muscles by going through uncomfortable times in order to grow.

Prompt: "Do you think “Know thyself" to be a highly overrated piece of wisdom? How can anyone know oneself perfectly? Along the same line of thought, how can anyone know someone else perfectly? Your thoughts…"

I think it is possible to know oneself if a person has a capacity for self-honesty. The key however is self-honesty and few of us are able to master that. All too often we have a false sense of ourselves that we present to ourselves and others. There are things within our makeup that we don't want to see so self-deception and denial are the ways we avoid it. When we are totally honest with ourselves God can begin to work on us and make us into who He wants us to be.

I also think it is often easier for a person to know someone else better than themselves. Mom always knew Dad better than Dad knew himself. Dad called he "ESP Woman" because she could peg what he was thinking before he said a word. She did not have extra sensory perception. She simply knew him that well.