Stumbling-Stones, Or Stepping-Stones?

“Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! ² It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. ³ Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. ⁴ And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.” Luke 17:1-4

“Things may be stumbling-stones or stepping-stones to us. They may be hindrances or helps—trials or blessings. What they prove to be depends not so much on their nature as upon our attitude toward them. It is not our opportunities that count, but the use that we make of them. It is not how much money we possess, but the wisdom we display in its expenditure. It is not how many obstacles we meet in life, but the manner in which we meet them.” (C.W. Naylor, “Heart Talks”, p. 189)

One of the things I have not mentioned about Reverend Naylor is the affliction he found himself facing later in his life. After thirteen years in the ministry, he experienced some sort of internal injury that left him bedridden for the remainder of his life. He was in constant pain. He talks about his affliction and the depression he first encountered – and his friends and family encountered on his behalf. He talks about the difficulty that this reality had on the faith of his friends and family. And then, in the face of his battle, the friends and family who were at his side began to be encouraged by  the manner he faced his troubles. He writes, “The affliction itself was the same; the change was in them; for that which was once a source of discouragement would have continued so had they continued to look at it as they had formerly done.”

Life will give us all kinds of stumbling stones – the challenge is to see each one as a stepping-stone for our faith. Yes, these epiphanies will not always be immediate, but the longer we endure, the more we trust G-d’s wisdom and plan, the more intimately we rely on the guidance of the light of Christ in our lives, the more each struggle will become a strength. When life gives you a stumbling-stone – ask yourself, “How can I use this as a stepping-stone?” As Naylor says, “It is not how many obstacles we meet in life, but the manner in which we meet them.”

Pastor Dave