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HARDSHIP/PERSEVERANCE

I don't think it was the worst thing that could happen at a concert, but it wasn't good. On November 18, 1995, a string on Itzhak Perlman's violin snapped as he played at Avery Fisher Hall, at the Lincoln Center in New York. Really, the word snapped doesn't convey what happened that night, when the string broke, it sounded like someone shot a gun off in the building. The orchestra stopped playing and all eyes were on Perlman. Everybody in the room knew that it is impossible to play a symphonic piece with just three strings, everyone that is, except Perlman.

He nodded to the conductor and the orchestra began playing where they left off. Perlman played with passion. He had to remodulate the piece on the fly, in effect, he recomposed the piece in his head.

When the orchestra finished, the audience was stone cold silent for a moment before they burst out in applause. They had witnessed the impossible that night, Perlman had overcome impossible odds. Something he was used to doing.

When he was a child, polio attacked his body and robbed him of his health. He walks, but only with the aid of crutches and braces. Perlman is trained in adversity. With a man like him, you will always get results, not an excuse. Whether it is walking on shriveled legs or playing on three strings, he is an overcomer!

—http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0051sM, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rod Ellis

Romans 8:37-39 NIV "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

HARDSHIPS

The following comments were taken from registration sheets and comment cards returned to the staff of the Bridger, Montana, Wilderness area:

1. Trails need to be wider so people can walk holding hands.

2. Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.

3. Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests.

4. Please pave the trails so they can be plowed of snow during the winter.

5. Chairlifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them.

6. The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake.Please eradicate these annoying animals.

7. A small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed?

8. Reflectors need to be placed on trees every 50 feet so people can hike at night with flashlights.

9. Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.

10. A McDonald's would be nice at the trailhead.

11. The places where trails do not exist are not well marked.

12. Too many rocks in the mountains.

Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Ed Rowell

No one ever promised us the Christian life would be an easy one. Paul and Barnabas "preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to be true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said." Acts 14:22 (see also 2 Tim. 2:3, 4:5; and Heb. 12:7)

HARDSHIPS/TRIALS

I like the attitude of Captain David Fortune of the Monterey Police Department. Captain Fortune has had three different types of cancer. His first round was with cancer of the larynx in 1979. That cancer led to surgery, radiation and an artificial voice box. Later, in 1988 he’d get cancer in his left kidney and skin cancer in 1993.

The odds of getting two types of cancer is great but the odds of getting three types is astronomical. What was his response? “I don’t feel picked on. I don’t feel I’m a marked man,” he said. “I feel blessed to be able to handle the challenges and keep going.”

—Monterey County Herald, June 19, 2002 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Instead of belly-aching over the hardships we face in life, perhaps we need to develop an attitude of gratitude, like Captain Fortune has.

James 1:2 NASB “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,”