Today's Thought - August

[bluidkiti]

August 17

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.

~African proverb

Only by meeting many different conditions and being challenged by problems do we develop great skill in dealing with life. We say a man is soft who has always had everything handed to him. We admire a man who has met great challenges and come through them. However, while we are struggling and when the challenges are really on top of us, we may not feel that we are in the midst of some admirable battle. We are more likely to simply feel burdened and stressed, not knowing what the outcome will be.

When the sailor is in the midst of the storm, he focuses intently on what he has to do right now. He learns to read the wind and the waves in these extreme conditions by being there and by learning from others who are more experienced. That is a model for developing our skills on this sea of life.

Today, I will focus on what I need to do just for today, and I will learn from those who are more experienced than I am.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones: More Daily Meditations for Men*