"Straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize."     Philippians 3:13-14 NIV

All rubber bands work on the same principle - they must be stretched to be effective! Anybody who has ever achieved anything of note has been stretched. There are no exceptions. One of the most common mistakes is thinking that success in life is due to some genius or some 'special something-or-other' you don't possess. Get rid of that thinking! Success comes when you stretch to meet the challenge; failure comes when you shrink back from it. And stretching makes you vulnerable. When a rubber band is taut, it's much easier to break. Is that why you're afraid to stretch? To go where you haven't gone and try what you haven't tried? Or have you tried and been criticized? You'll always have critics. Jesus had them. And He said, "No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20 NIV).

Dr. Jonas Salk, who invented the polio vaccine, was continually attacked by his peers for his pioneering work in the field. He found that comments came in three stages. First they'll tell you, "It won't work!" Then when you begin to succeed they'll say, "What you're doing isn't really important!" Finally, after they see that it's important they'll say, "We knew you'd do it all along!" So don't look at the way things are and ask, why? Look at the way things could be and ask, why not?

Through the power of God's indwelling Spirit YOU... can make a difference. Just make yourself available to God and let Him show you what He can do with your life.

"Today, see if you can stretch your heart and expand your love so that it touches not only those to whom you can give it easily, but also those who need it so much." - Daphne Rose Kingma