IN my reading this week I learned that seventy percent of artist have optical anomalies; Mozart and Beethoven both had degenerative hearing problems; that highly successful people in a wide variety of vocations are found to have some demonstrable weakness and shortcoming that in close examination in fact prove to be otherwise. For example as the study shows (just picking on data point), 35% of small-business owners are dyslexic resulting in their developing high social and communication skills due to difficulties in reading and learning challenges.
IT was an interesting read based on the Theory of Compensation, reminding me a lot of Malcom Gladwell’s work where I gleaned the treasured phrase “Desirable Difficulties.” It is based upon the fact that success is not achieved in spite of perceived disadvantages, but because of them!
THIS also brought to mind what we have been looking at from the pen of JR Miller, The Beauty of the Imperfect. With that, let’s pick up where we left off at Part 3.
In the inexorable blessings of Christ,
Joe
Neh. 8:10, Isa 30:15, Jas 1:2
*********
The Beauty of the Imperfect – Pt4
Then he uses our blundering efforts, if only love and faith are in them, to bless others, to do good, to build up his kingdom. Christ is saving the world today, not through faultless work of perfect angels—but through the poor, ignorant, flawed, ofttimes very tactless, foolish work of disciples who love him and want to help him!
Take another phase of the same truth. We usually think of defeat as dishonorable. Sometimes it is. It is dishonorable when it comes through cowardice or lack of effort. We ought to train ourselves to be over-comers. But when one has bravely done his best and after all, has gone down in the struggle, there is no disgrace in his failure.
A twofold battle is going on whenever a man is fighting with hard conditions or adverse circumstances, and it is possible for him to fail in one and be victorious in the other. Too often a man succeeds in his battle with the world—at the cost of truth and right. That is defeat indeed, over whose dishonor heaven grieves. But when a man fails in his struggle with circumstances, and yet comes out with his virtue untarnished, he is a conqueror indeed and his victory gives joy to the heart of Christ! Such failure as this is, in heaven’s sight, glorious success and no dishonoring of the life!
“God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas, but for scars.” – Elbert Hubbard
“The next best thing to winning is losing! At least you’ve been in the race.” – N.H. Smith
Defeat is the school in which most of us have to be trained. In all kinds of work, men learn by making mistakes. The successful business man did not begin with success. He learned by experience and the experience was very costly. The true science of living—is not to make no mistakes—but not to repeat one’s mistakes. Defeat when one has done one’s best, and when one takes a lesson from his defeat, is not something to be ashamed of—but something to be glad for, since it sets one’s feet on a little higher plane. Defeat which makes us wiser and better—is a blessing to us.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
An old man said that in reviewing his life he discovered to his great surprise, that the best things in his character and in his career, were the fruits of what he regarded as his failures and follies.
….to be continued
