The Ant and the Contact Lens...

This is a story that originates from a book written by Elisabeth Elliot written in 1995 titled Keep a Quiet Heart. Ms. Elliot attributes the story to a first-person account sent to her by Brenda Foltz of Princeton, Minnesota, who maintained she wrote it based upon an event that occurred during her first rock-climbing experience. I love this story because it serves as a reminder to have faith in God each and every day! He's there for you no matter how big or small your problems are! 

The Ant and The Contact.

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.

“Great,” she thought. “Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.” She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there!

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains.

She thought of the Bible verse, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.” She thought, “Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.”

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, “Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?”

            

Well, that would be startling enough. But you know why the climber saw it?

An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there.

Brenda’s father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption:

“Lord, I don’t know why You want me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I’ll carry it for You.”

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. 

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

There are a few times in your life when all your instincts will tell you to do something, something that defies logic, upsets your plans, and may seem crazy to others. When that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complications and just go for it.

Do not look at the world through your head; look at it through your heart.

See, we are all imperfect and unworthy of His love. Just because we do things that we don’t like to look back on, doesn't make anyone a bad person. After all, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead. Our mistakes and the lessons we learn make us WHO WE ARE. We are given these lessons to mold us into the people we are supposed to be. His grace IS sufficient for us and his power is made perfect in weakness.

Among other things, you’ll find that you’re not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You’re by no means alone on that score, you’ll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You’ll learn from them- if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It’s a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It’s history. It’s poetry.

To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life.

In desperate love, we always invent the characters of our partners, demanding they be what we need of them, and then feeling devastated when they refuse to perform the role we created in the first place.

Everyone makes mistakes, and then you learn from them. If you ever happen to make the same mistake twice, the second time isn't a mistake. It’s a choice.

Not everyone or everything is worth fighting for. Sometimes what seems promising is nothing but a scenario and an ending that we've created in our heads. Throwing in the towel doesn't always mean that you’re weak. It just means that you are strong enough to let go and allow God to take over. Whatever is meant to be…will be.

Look at us, running around. Always rushed, always late. I guess that’s why they call it the human race. What we crave most in this world is connection. For some people, that happens at first sight. It’s when you know, you know. It’s fate working its magic. And that’s great for them. They get to live in a pop song. Ride the express train. But that’s not the way it really works. For the rest of us, it’s a bit less romantic. It’s complicated, it’s messy. It’s about horrible timing and fumbled opportunities. And not being able to say what you need to say when you need to say it. At least, that’s the way it was for me. But sometimes, it slows down just enough for all the pieces to fall into place. Fate works its magic. And you’re connected.

Long overdue...

I want to remember that no one is going to make my dreams come true for me. It is my job to get up every day and work toward the things that are deepest in my heart, and to enjoy every step of the journey rather than wishing I was already where I want to end up.

I think you can’t wait for someone to fly underneath you and save your life. I think you need to save yourself.

So, I’ve been thinking about the whole “being happy” thing and I feel like people get lost when they think of happiness as a destination…we’re always thinking that someday, we’ll be happy; we’ll get that car or that job or that person in our lives that’ll fix everything. But happiness is a mood, and it’s a condition, not a destination. It’s like being tired or hungry, it’s not permanent. It comes and goes, and that’s okay. And I feel like if people thought of it that way, they’d find happiness more often.

If it’s still in your mind, it’s worth taking the risk. 

Learn to love the fool in you, the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects you against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom you also harbor and who would rob you of human aliveness, humility, and dignity.

You never know where the next miracle is gonna come from, the next smile, the next wish come true.

You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, the conversations you engage in. You are what you take from these. You are the sound of the ocean, the breath of fresh air, the brightest light and the darkest corner. You are a collective of every experience you have had in your life. You are every single day. So drown yourself in a sea of knowledge and existence. Let the words run through your veins and let the colors fill your mind.

It’s a strange thing, how you can love somebody, how you can be all eaten up inside with needing them- and they simply don’t need you. That’s all there is to it, and neither of you can do anything about it. And they’ll be the same way with someone else, and someone else will be the same way about you and it goes on and on- this desperate need - and only once in a rare  million do the same two people need each other.

In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we are afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.

Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.

She’s a mess of gorgeous chaos, and you can see it in her eyes.

You can choose to blame your circumstances on fate or bad luck or bad choices. Or you can fight back. Things are always going to be fair in the real world. That’s just the way it is. But for the most part, you get what you give. The rest of your life is being shaped right now. With the dreams you chase. The choices you make. And the person you decide to be. The rest of your life is a long time. And the rest of your life starts right now.

For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. This is it: there’s nothing else. It’s here and you’d better decide to enjoy it or you’re going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.

A few rules: 1.) Never stop thinking. This is is important. If someone ever says to you “you need to stop thinking so much,” call them ignorant in your head and keep thinking deeper. It is this mentality that breeds stupid people. Your mind is the most important thing you have, if you stop using it, it will atrophy. 2.) Stare into space blankly and don’t mentally punish yourself for doing it, even if it is for that split second. 2.) Don’t be afraid to talk about anything. You shouldn’t be afraid of reality. 3.) Everyone is a hypocrite. 4.) You are all original. Every life experience is case sensitive and unique. Every time you wake up or quote someone else, you are becoming more you than anyone has ever been. 5.) Do pointless things. Don’t actively restrain or hide yourself from the redundant. 6.) Stop rushing. Shut up and embrace the sound of silence. 7.) Religion shouldn’t be taught, it should be found. No one should tell you what to believe except for you. 8.) Talking to yourself is healthy. Is there anyone you have more in common with? 9.) There is no such thing as time. The sun never sets or rises. Days and years don’t exist. There is only your life. 10.) We will always be in a transitional phase. Look outside and know that everything will be replaced at some point. This existence is temporary. 11.) It’s not half empty or half full. It’s half a glass. 12.) Every now and then, you take something that you see everyday and try to see it in a different light. Renew its resistance. 13.) Be happy, but don’t force it. 14.) You will always succeed in trying. 15.) We are all crazy. 16.) We are all about as similar as we are different. 17.) Ideas are about as valuable as people. 21.) Numbers don’t have to go in order. 18.) Words will always be just words. Love is just another four letter word, only the feeling is real. 19.) Ask a child for advice. They may not know much, but they know what’s important. 20.) Prove you’re alive. Do anything from dancing in the supermarket to taking an impulse trip to another country. Remind the world you are still here. 21.) Don’t take anything seriously.

Be in love with your life.

Life is like a camera lens. 

Focus only on what’s important and you will capture it perfectly.

Be in love with your life. Every detail of it.

You have to decide what’s most important to you. 

Keeping your pride and getting nothing. 

Or taking a risk, and maybe, just maybe having everything.

Think of all the beauty still around you and be happy.

Whatever you do, hold on to hope!  

The tiniest thread will twist into an unbreakable cord.

 Let hope anchor you in the possibility, that this is NOT the end of your story, that change will bring you to peaceful shores.

She may come across as hard to get, but that’s because she’s been through a few things, seen a few things, been there and done that. She’s cold…yes, but only because she once cared about someone who failed to care about her. She’s built a fortress to protect her heart from further damage. You told her that you’re different, but she won’t believe it until you prove it. Words don’t mean a thing.

Live in the Sunshine!!