A story was recounted of one young man's determination not to be like his father. All his life he had observed his father's drunkenness and all the troubles that came as a result. The son constantly focused on his father's problem, the disappointments that resulted and his resolve to be different. When the young man grew up he became just like his father with the same problem and the same results. Instead of focusing on a better image by which he would pattern his life he allowed himself to be taken up by the one thing he hated and as a result his life was molded in the same way.
Oscar Wilde said, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." We may find ourselves going through the worst imaginable circumstances in life. However, we cannot allow ourselves to focus on them. We must focus on a higher goal. One wise teacher suggested that we should look at the problems of life as projects allowed by God in order to make us more like his Son. That is why we read in Romans that "all things work together for good to them that love God." That "good" is found in the following verse where we learn of God's desire to conform us to the image of his Son.
When you find yourself discouraged by immediate circumstances, look to the Star so that your life will be patterned after Him rather than after your situation. You will not only experience the grace of God yourself, but will communicate it to those around you as they observe your reaction to the difficulties of life.
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