Our Daily Bread

How difficult it is for some highly intelligent people to admit that in their own wisdom they can’t answer life’s ultimate questions.

Jesus! No other name draws people together so closely, while at the same time evoking hatred in others.

Three years ago I bought a suitcase with a lifetime guarantee. “We don’t care who breaks it,” the manufacturer said, “we’ll repair or replace it free—forever.” To its credit, the company repaired it twice, just as promised. But a few weeks ago I learned that the business had filed for bankruptcy and its future was in doubt. If the company goes under, so does the guarantee.

The Mount Morgan gold mine in Queensland, Australia, is one of the richest in the world. For many years, though, the original landowners lived in deep poverty on the mountain’s barren surface. Even though the vast wealth was out-of-sight, it was beneath their feet all the time.

The Pharisees asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” (John 6:28). How audacious of any of us to think we can do the work of God! If anything at all is to be accomplished, it must be done by faith, with Christ’s power enabling us. “Without Me,” Jesus said, “you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

During the many years I’ve worked with drug-addicted youth, I’ve never given up on anyone—until Sam. He had peculiar problems and was extremely rebellious. Without realizing it, I began to pull away from him. Then God alerted me to my wrong attitude.

When I was about 8 years old, I tried to deny the reality of death. It happened at my grandmother’s funeral. Seeing her lifeless body in the casket, I recall thinking, If that should ever happen to me, I’ll just get up and walk away.

If we stand on a street corner to watch a parade, our limited vision permits us to see the various floats and bands only as they come into view and pass by in succession. But if we were to hover high above in a helicopter, we would see the entire parade route with everybody and everything in it.

My kids enjoy rollerblading. My 13-year-old son likes jumps, rails, and anything else he can do tricks on. But my daughters like long excursions on smooth paths.

Are only a few fortunate people born with a bright outlook on life, or is optimism an attitude we can learn?