NO 843 THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

No. 843

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

The other day I asked a lady I know about her mother that I had not seen in some time, and she replied, “She passed.” What she was saying is that her mother had died. The term, “she passed” or “he passed” is an expression used by a good number of people, but most of us would add the word “away” to this term to say he or she “passed away.”
You may wonder where I am going with this line of thinking, but one of the things that I feel very strongly about is doing my best to provide good information and reliable benefits to each person who invests their time to read what I have to say. I realize that I don’t hit the nail on the head every time but I honestly do my best to keep your needs in mind when I sit down to write.
With regards to what I have been saying, it is just a fact of life that we are all going to die, regardless of the term that is used. Obviously, the only chance and choice we have to make a difference in the lives of people, including our own, is while we are living. My comments to this point are used as a way of introducing a term that my wife, Viola, and I have used over the years. If I can place it in the proper context, I believe the term I am going to share will help you, too. When we have sharp disagreements over something, which usually are trivial, or find ourselves in an uncomfortable situation, we say, “This too shall pass.” Regardless of the situation and whatever it may be, it’s comforting to know that, in the vast majority of cases, in time our circumstances will change and we will have smooth sailing again.
Now, please ask yourself this question: What am I facing now, short of a terminal disease or illness, that cannot be made much better by intelligent action? A few examples of what I am saying could include working under the supervision of a taskmaster who has no compassion or love for others; sitting on the bench waiting for your chance because you know you are better than those who are playing; a child who is sitting in jail facing drug charges or is charged with a serious crime; a spouse who is cheating on you; more bills sitting on the kitchen table than you have money to cover and you have maxed out all your credit cards; tires on your car that are slick and winter is coming with no resources to buy new or better ones; and on and on.
Here is something we should all remember and think about from time to time. We can not be defeated when we take the long-range view. If we can see down the road far enough and not get caught up in the emotion of the moment, we will have peace and a settled mind that will buy us time to work out a solution. Most people do not take the long-range view. I have a good friend who is hurting because his son went through a divorce. Maybe he thinks it’s his fault, which it is not, but he needs to understand that divorce is not the end of the world. People go though divorce every day and many are justified. It is not God’s plan to divorce, but He does forgive those who ask for forgiveness -- I John 1: 9.
Going back to a point I made earlier, the vast majority of our challenges and problems can be made better by intelligent action. We all have problems. We can choose to defeat or overcome them, or we can let them overcome us. Please sit down and take a piece of paper and a pencil and list the most pressing problems or challenges you face. Now, give each one some thought and list what you think are possible solutions. When you are finished, put the paper away and go to work on solving your problems. When we say “This too shall pass” we are simply buying time.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a public speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034. To begin a bookcase literacy project visit www.bookcaseforeverychild.com. You won’t go wrong helping a needy child.)