Fix it and keep on going

Do you merely browse and shop, buying items you want or need at stores, or do you receive other rewards, as well? One would normally assume that shopping is the main benefit of going to a store, right? I recently found that I reap other benefits, as well, even behind the mask that I wear now, because of the Coved precaution.

As my husband and I walked up and down the aisles at a local store, recently, we encountered a person, from which I gained a valuable bit of wisdom -- right then. As I made my way around and between the other carts, I almost bumped into Jake. He was a friend and former neighbor that we had not seen for a while. We extended the usual polite greetings, and both parties proceeded to find out how both he and we were doing. This person was an elderly man that seemed to be faring well. "Are you still working, or are you retired," I asked. I thought that due to his age, he would surely have stopped working full time, particularly, since he was an owner of a construction business. "Oh, yes," he replied. "I work every day." I was flabbergasted and happy to hear that he was still living such a full and vigorous life.

Jake had endured open-heart surgery consisting of five bypasses, three heart stints, a heart pacemaker, and had an ulcer, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. He laughed and said "I just keep on fixing what goes wrong, and keep on going." Wow! He showed an astonishingly positive attitude. What strength and courage, rolled from his lips. I felt as if I had just received a large dose of caffeine or an energy pill upon hearing this.

As we exited the store, I continued to ponder what Jake had told us and how it relates to other things in our lives. Fix it and keep on going. Although most of us have heard phrases concerning our need to keep on going, Jake placed the advice on a higher, more realistic scale.

I personally, think there are few problems that can't be solved. We should look at our challenges and investigate all the valid information, we can find, concerning what we need to do. If one idea fails to work, we must keep on searching until we figure out another way to accomplish our purpose. "Most people feel like running away from problems, and life, when it becomes too much to handle. Stress and anxiety have overwhelmed us, but, what's actually happening is we've become too afraid to deal with that problem or any problems." (Martin Ward, VibrantLife.com). The example I gave, with Jake as the main character, is just one illustration of how crucial it is that we keep a positive attitude -- regardless of how hopeless and impossible a dire situation, accomplishment, or a dream, seems at the time. Remember too, that words indeed have life, so it's important that we watch what we say and think. Whether it requires seeing a counselor, a minister, reading positive literature, or taking a quiet walk in the woods, find out the reason for your pain, and fix it, if you can. Most challenges contain a key that will open the door to our solution and allow light to shine through. If it's our health we need to consult a skilled physician, or whoever can fix our psychical problem. Regardless of how bleak your circumstance seems at the time, light, does always follow the darkness.

We repair our homes and choose our clothes with care, and although those are tangibles, our bodies, minds and spirits require the same amount and type of care. If the roof leaks, we fix it, and it lasts a while longer. We all have a tendency to want to run away sometimes but "No matter where we try to run or hide, our problems are going to be there with us. They will follow us and we'll keep repeating the same errors until we actively decide to FIX them" (VibrantLife.com). We Christians, fortunately, have the assurance and comfort of Jesus's words, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). Don't quit, just fix it and keep on going.