I read another book this week. It was
titled, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of
Battling Giants. It was written
by Malcolm Gladwell, the same author who wrote the popular, Blink,
Tipping Point, Outliers and What
the Dog Saw. Gladwell is a
unique thinker and this latest book challenges our classic thoughts
about success and adversity. His
book resonated with me.
Sometimes
I think finding truth must be
a little like tuning my guitar. Since I am no musician, I use the
little battery operated tuner. I then tighten or loosen the offending
string, trying to come closer and closer to the “E” or whatever note I am searching for. Finally.... success!
I find the note that resonates in the right way and I and
my little tuner at last find a note that rings
true.
True… we know that notes can sound true. I think books, people, ideas, philosophies can also resonate with us because
they have a certain bit of truth
in them and we humans are drawn to truth because we are designed
to long for it and want desperately to find it.
Lord
of the Rings: teaches me, among other things, about clinging to courage when things
look hopeless and that I won't necessarily know the whole story or its meaning in my life all at once. I
have read
it again and again.
I have
learned truths
from books at the bottom of the heap of sophistication like Little
House on the Prairie, by Laura
Ingalls Wilder and from the top such
as in:
Escape from Reason by
Francis Shaeffer. I have even
found little nuggets of truth in Harry Potter
and detective books by Laurie King.
In
fact, I think the
main “secret” to success
for authors must be
the existence of a
strong bent for truth in the
writer's soul. Their
ideas, if colored by truth, flow
out into the written
work and that
note of truth resonates again and again in readers minds and
hearts.
That
may be too
long of a
digression, so back to Gladwell. I
believe that what he said also rings true. He
tells us that adversity often gives us exactly what we need to
succeed. Think of that! David
had youth, mobility, experience with slings and inexperience
with armor. All of those things helped to give him success and it
made him avoid the standard practice of the day and skip the armor
that would have totally immobilized him and neutralized all of his
other strengths.
Gladwell
also says that while a very
high proportion of people in
prisons
have learning problems, so do many CEO's of
highly successful companies.
Some people
let adversity overcome them and others
use the very
coping mechanisms they are
forced to learn, to
overcome adversity and find success. He
tells story after story of individual weaknesses being used as strengths.
So now
I am looking for and listening
for these
notes
of truth in my own
situation.
I am facing a few
things that feel powerfully like adversity right
now. I am in a new area and I
am an introvert. My husband is more of an introvert than I am. That
is hard to overcome when you want to connect in a new community. My house, my art studio room,
my “stuff” is mostly far away. We are retired now
at half our accustomed
income. My sisters, my
in-laws,
my friends are mostly out of
reach.
I am listening hard
for truth. Somewhere in
my life are problems that God
can help me use as
strengths.
I am looking (and praying) for ways my weaknesses can become my strengths.
Any
other thoughts, praises, or prayers on that truth?
Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.
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