Take Five

ADAPTABILITY: God seemed to have programmed life, in general, to be indiscriminate, allowing all of its good, bad, and ugly to rain upon His creation. God is an equal opportunity employer. Some entities receive 'favor' without regard to merit. Victory is more thrilling when we have experienced the agony of defeat, and life becomes sweeter as we learn to adapt, adjust, redirect, or even alter our course. A great heavyweight prizefighter was knocked down more than any fighter in history. His adaptability enabled him to become great because he refused to stay down.* DECISIVE: Being among the best requires not just the ability to make decisions, but it demands that one makes timely and possibly risky decisions. Decisive is not another word for a robot, but often, calculations of various kinds are 'forward-moving'. Fear of outcomes has to be faced and overcome if one is to be deemed decisive. Although waiting is often virtuous, we do not always have the luxury to wait. FOCUS: Keeping the eyes on the prize goes a long way toward winning the prize. A famous Professional Baseball player was noted for saying, "Don't look back, someone may be gaining on you.".** The golfer's best swing is against the course, not other players. He cannot alter the weather nor directly affect the play of other golfers, but he can focus on his game. FLEXIBILITY: One of the greatest among trees is the oak tree. It is noted for its strength and ability to stand in the midst of great adversities. A palm tree, on the other hand, is noted, not for its strength, but for its flexibility. Because it bends easily, it will not easily break. RESILENCE: A freeway road sign reads: for destinations 'rejection', go north; further along the way, a very visible sign indicated: for destinations 'hurt', proceed east; continuing along the freeway, another sign read: all those experiencing 'repeated disappointments', go west. Although it is true that one may exit any of those choices, if one has resilence, the stay on the sideline will be short-lived. Resilence is the springboard that keeps us sane and puts us back on the main road of life in order that we may fulfill our God-ordained destiny. 12820PSpCtest, Exalted Words, Chantelle Cooke.*Floyd Patterson.**Satchel Paige. The chosen words seemed to have 'showcased' my life from birth until now. They are life-infusing words forming the story of my life. I cannot imagine a life where these words have not been displayed in neon