Charles F. Stanley - Living the Extraordinary Life: Nine Principles to Discover It

Life in the twenty-first century is tough. The world is becoming increasingly volatile. Despite unprecedented technological, scientific, and educational advances, our society grows more fragile with each passing year. Institutional, cultural, and moral foundations upon which we have come to depend are rapidly decaying, and pressures inside and outside the home sometimes overwhelm us.

Are you wrestling against forces that seem out of your control? Is lifes treadmill going faster than you are? If you answer yes, like most people today, you are running your own life, moving from crisis to crisis without slowing down. Like a sick person who ignores the dull pain in his spine, you work harder and spend more money trying to distract yourself from a reality that might interrupt your life. If the pain becomes intolerable, youll seek help. And you may learn that your condition is worse than you thoughtthat it might have been prevented had you dealt with it earlier.

During the past seven decades, I have sometimes run myself weary on that same treadmill. I have strived, failed, achieved, stumbled, and been lifted up. I have listened to the advice of my peers and heeded the wisdom of God. Ive seen the top of the spiritual mountain and been caught in a valley so deep I thought I would never find my way out. Throughout my lifes journey, I have come to understand one thing clearly: only God can help you to live a truly extraordinary life.

There is a bedrock of truth upon which we can standa truth so strong no tide can move it. Because we are followers of Christ, our confidence in unstable times lies in an unchanging God who provides steady anchors of faith and assurance. When I think of how near God is and yet how often we fail to see Him, I am reminded of a photography excursion I once took to Switzerland in hopes of photographing a legendary mountain: the Matterhorn. After a four-hour train ride to the town of Zermatt, I was greeted by a storm of rain, sleet, and snow that persisted for three days. I surveyed the entire area, but never even saw the foot of the mountain, let alone anything worth photographing. On my last night there, I shared my disappointment with the Lord. I had come a long way for the sole purpose of taking a picture of that mountain, and I knew He understood.

Before I lay down to sleep, I opened the shutters of my window to let in the fresh air. I woke at 5:20 AM and looked out at the morning. Even today I can still see itthe Matterhorn, all 14,691 feet of her glorious whiteness, hovered above me like a giant cobra. The sky in the background was completely black, and a halo of light illuminated the entire mountain. It was as if God said, See what happens when you wait for Me.

Later that day, I rode the cable car to nearly 12,000 feet, but the best shots I got were the ones I took from my hotel window. The building in front of me was just low enough that I could shoot over it, and I had an absolutely perfect view. To this day, my picture of the Matterhorn is one of my favorites. The awesome lesson I learned from this experience was that God is always nearwhether we can see Him or not. Id been there for three days searching in vain through a blanket of fog. Yet all that time, the peak was right there in front of me.

Gods promises are like that. If you will slow down and focus your attention enough to see them, you can appropriate them for your life in unimaginable ways. In the midst of spiraling instability, it is easy to forget your true source of strength. Yet even as you stumble along lifes wearying path, He walks with youthrough disillusionment, discouragement, and doubt. He is never turned away by your wayward acts. He knows that on your own, you can do nothing, but that through Christ, you can and will succeed. He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (P HIL . 1:6).

When you place your hope in temporal thingsmoney, social status, achievements, acceptance, or even the love of your family and friends your foundation will inevitably crumble. Worldly comforts are no defense against the tumultuous storms that life often delivers. Your identity must be based on something greater than what the world offers if you are to stand strong.