The Weekly Word: ‘Good things come to those who …’

By Tim Purcell, Superintendent of the Iowa/Minnesota District of The Wesleyan Church

“ … one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

— Philippians 3:13a-14 (NIV) 

Remember the old saying, “Good things come to those who wait?” Sorry, it isn’t true. At least, it isn’t completely true.

Believe me, if all you do is wait, nothing good is coming your way. However, if you persist in making good decisions and doing the right things while you wait, then you can count on good things coming your way.

Here’s another old truism; “Time heals all wounds”?  We all know that’s not true.  Time, by itself, doesn’t heal anything.  However, doing the right things over a long period of time will heal the biggest of wounds.

In the above scripture passage, the Apostle Paul points out a couple of things that we would do well to remember as we march into 2022. First of all, we need a goal worth pursuing. Paul’s ultimate goal was to stand before God someday and hear Him say, “Well done.” Pretty good goal…

Secondly, it’s not good enough to have the right goals. We have to consistently take steps toward that goal. You don’t wait around for good things to come to you, you strain toward them.

One of the mountains of the Alps that is popular with climbers has a rest house about halfway up that hikers usually reach about noon.

The owner of the house has noticed an interesting phenomenon. When the climbers get into the house, where they feel the warmth of the fire, several tell their companions, “You know, I think I’ll just wait here while you go to the top. When you come down, we’ll go back down together.”

So they sit by the fire while the rest of the group makes their way to the top. For a couple of hours there is a spirit of happiness, but by about 3:30, it starts to get quiet.

They begin taking turns at the window, looking toward the top of the mountain and they grow silent as they watch their friends, who were willing to pay the price, reach the goal.

Then it hits them that they settled for second best.

In the coming year you’ll face some situations where it would be easy to settle for less than God’s best. But keep your eyes on the goal and press on. Remember, good things come to those who persevere.