Weakness, Trial

Morris F. Udall, former Secretary of the Interior, lost an eye in an accident when he was six years old. Children would tease him cruelly about the eye. In self-defense he started poking fun at himself. He learned early on to compensate for that lost eye by working harder than other kids. In his Junior and Senior years in high school, he was editor of the yearbook, captain of the football team, high scorer on the basketball team, had his own dance band, and wrote a political column for the newspaper. Later he became a national leader.

He traced part of his success back to that lost eye. It could have been his excuse for failure; instead, he made it a challenge to excellence. Each of us has some liability. It can be our reason for not trying or it could be our stimulus for success. (Bill Bouknight, "Just a Thought")

-PreachingNow Vol. 3:19