Words of Grace – Feb. 6, 2014

“If at first you don’t succeed,” as the old adage goes, “try again.” The truth of these words is illustrated in the following true story.

A young man accumulated a large amount of money and invested it all in a business. Within months the business went bankrupt, causing him to lose all of his money.

It wasn’t long before the businessman acquired another large sum of money. Once again he invested it all in a promising business, and once again he lost it all through bankruptcy.

Though humbled by the experiences, he was not going to give up. Working hard, and with the help of family, he again gained a profit and had more funds to work with. For the third time he daringly invested in another business venture.

This time, however, he would do things differently. He would no longer rely on his own understanding of the business world. He would acknowledge those who had been successful in establishing their enterprises.

As a result, this man’s business became a great success on his third try. Though he had gone into bankruptcy twice, he eventually became a multi-millionaire. Because he trusted in the advice of those above him and leaned on them instead of himself for the answers, he stayed on the right path.

Proverbs 3:5, 6 gives us some good advice for our spiritual life. If we trust in the Lord with all our heart, not leaving on our own understanding, but acknowledging the Lord in all our ways, then the Lord will direct our path.