Nuggets of Truth

I can't remember the last time I have read a series of books that seem to have such profound words of wisdom. This particular book in the series started out dreadfully slow. I was starting to doubt I would make it past chapter 3. I did, and I am glad I hung in there! Here are but a few of the nuggets of truth bestowed on me as I partook of the book, The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis.

QUOTE 1:

One of the worst results of...being forced to do things is that when there is no one there to force you anymore you find you have almost lost the power of forcing yourself.

How true it is. I often think of the things we "make" our children do, attending church for instance. At least once every couple of weeks Jaxen or Ember complains that they don't want to go to church. Once realizing, that they are going, whether they like it or not, the comply and get ready. It never fails that after church they are all smiles and talking about what they did/learned and how much fun they had. Sometimes you just have to make them do it, because they will quickly lose the power to make themselves go (now and in the future).

This has a lot to do with the things we battle on a daily basis. I grew up doing my fair share of chores around the house. I was responsible for washing and drying the dishes (by hand), cleaning the bathroom and mopping the floor every Friday. Unlike most people, I don't harbor that grudge to do the same chores as an adult. Some people hate to do something because they always hated it growing up. Now that I am adult I don't have to do XYZ kind of attitude. This of course has it's place, but can be harmful in some aspects.

QUOTE 2:

He had not yet learned that if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.

Ah, yes, yet another quote that is true to life. How often are we so good at something, or so reliable, that we are the first to be turned to? How often are we annoyed by this? How often do we wish that maybe we shouldn't have done such a good job...and then maybe we wouldn't be called upon so often?

Why can't we take this as a measure of our character and reliability? Why can't we be excited to be thought of in instances where our talents might be useful? Why should we be content with second grade work versus our very best each and every time?

I am going to try and look at this from a new perspective when called upon to do something for someone else.

QUOTE 3:

"...as long as you know you're nobody special you'll be a very decent sort of [Human], on the whole, and taking one thing with another."

In context, this is being told to a horse who was very boastful and proud and thought he was better than others.

I read it to mean that nobody is special...or shall I say more important than another person. We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. We all have the same value to Him. If we can get past the pride and out doing of others, we can be decent and human and loving to our fellow men. We can take the good with the bad, hand in hand.