Worry is Rust Upon the Blade

"It is not work that kills men, it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more on a man than he can bear. But worry is rust upon the blade. It is not movement that destroys the machinery, but friction."  (Henry Ward Beecher)

 

I was sitting at my computer contemplating how to start the engine of my mind.  I just finished reading the historical writing about the Jewish people under the leadership of Joshua, and I was stuck as to what to write.  Then a friend of mine (John Wilck) sent an email with the above quote. Voila! The dots connected in my mind; now, if I can just connect them for you.

 

What jumped out at me in the book of Joshua was the phrase, "Be Courageous!"  I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago, but I felt there was something that I missed.  In the first chapter, the Lord repeats this theme to Joshua 4 times:

Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. (v.6)
Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left; so that you may have success wherever you go. (v.7)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (v.9)
Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous. (v.18) (NASB)

Israel faced no small task in claiming the promised land. This was a bloody time of battle after battle. It was not the time for the people to worry and question God or His leader; it was a time for COURAGE, TRUST, and ACTION! Joshua finally grasps the concept of what God was saying to him when he addresses the people in chapter ten following the defeat of the five kings:

Joshua said to them, 'Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies with whom you fight'. (v.25) (NASB)

Sometimes there are things in our lives that we need to just untie.  We may need to let go of some of the "stuff" from the past so that it doesn't dictate our future. Change is difficult for humans -- it's not our normal modality of cognitive operation.  But if what we are doing keeps bringing about the same painful results... well, that just leads to insanity!

Be Strong and Courageous and Never Give In!!