As I was driving to Starbucks this morning, I was listening to NPR as I often do. Garrison Keillor does this short piece called Writer’s Almanac and reads a piece of poetry. This morning’s poem was very familiar — if you have graduated from high school or college, chances are you have received a card with this poem on it. It is called “If” by Rudyard Kipling. I had to memorize this poem in high school English class at one point and as Garrison read it, I found myself reciting it along with him. It’s become a Hallmark cliché in some aspects, but I don’t think that diminishes the truth of it.
If — Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
A Choice of Kipling’s Verse (1943)
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175772
That’s a pretty powerful poem, when you really take it all apart. It’s about character. It’s about having the fruit of the spirit — common sense, patience, truth, hope, self control, perseverance, virtue, honesty and humility — and the rewards that come from living such a life. The person who does these things, Kipling says, will be a true man. It’s a mark of manhood to be able to push through when you think there is no way to continue. It takes character to stand when someone has twisted your words into saying something you never did. Manhood is picking up the broken pieces of something you worked a long time at and rebuild it. This is about servanthood — where sometimes you feel like there is nothing left and you are still there because the will inside of you says, “No, don’t give up, you are not done yet.” Character is when you can stand in front of crowds or cameras and bend the ears of powerful and influential folks yet remain humble and grounded.
All of this is what The Lord is working in us — character. We learn it by dealing with the stuff of life. The daily challenges that ask us the question that Apostle Paul answered so well: How then shall we live? His advice — “See that you walk carefully! Not as fools but as wise. Use your time wisely and make the most of every opportunity for the days ahead are evil.” The character that is being worked in us through some of these situations is exactly what causes us to become men and women of maturity, stability, and humility. It’s like that movie, Evan Almighty, when “God” says, “Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?” It’s a valid point — James said it in the first chapter when he stated that when we are in the midst of trials, consider it joy because those trial are working patience in us! In other words, your character is being developed. Is any of this easy? No way! Like the poem says, if you are lied about or hated and still maintain your identity and have the ability to walk on despite that, that is character development right there. Because everything in us wants to respond back. This is what is meant by giving up our rights — the right to be heard, the right to have the last word, the right to be right, the right to an opinion. When we learn this, we learn humility and meekness.
“Meekness is not weakness; it is power under control. As the writer of Proverbs says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city” (16:32). In contrast, the individual who is not gentle is likened to “a city that is broken into and without walls” (Proverbs 25:28)…. And don’t equate gentleness with cowardice, lack of conviction, or mere human niceness. It’s a virtue that draws courage, strength, conviction, and a good disposition from God, not from self-centered human resources” (John MacArthur).
If… I choose to live like this, I will become a man of character. If I choose to reject the impulses to strike back when I am lied about or hated or to victimize myself when I lose it all because of a bad risk taken; when I am thrust into the spotlight and remain humble; when I keep my common sense when everyone around me has lost theirs; then I am well on my way to developing true character and becoming like Christ — a man of meekness. This is the Sermon on the Mount at it’s core because all of this is the Constitution of the Kingdom. How then shall I live? I think my path is clear!
Thanky Thanky for all this good information!
Well I guess I don’t have to spend the weekend figuring this one out!
Kudos! What a neat way of thinking about it.
Always a good job right here. Keep rolling on through.
You really found a way to make this whole process easier.
Well put, sir, well put. I’ll certainly make note of that.
That’s the thinking of a creative mind
You are so awesome for helping me solve this mystery.
The paragon of understanding these issues is right here!
Nothing I could say would give you undue credit for this story.
You keep it up now, understand? Really good to know.
Kick the tires and light the fires, problem officially solved!
Which came first, the problem or the solution? Luckily it doesn’t matter.
Great insight! That’s the answer we’ve been looking for.
This article keeps it real, no doubt.
Sharp thinking! Thanks for the answer.
What I have observed in terms of pc memory is that often there are specifications such as SDRAM, DDR and many others, that must fit the technical specs of the motherboard. If the personal computer’s motherboard is very current while there are no operating system issues, modernizing the memory literally takes under an hour or so. It’s among the list of easiest computer system upgrade processes one can consider. Thanks for revealing your ideas.
Wow! Great to find a post knocking my socks off!
Magnificent items from you, man. I’ve consider your stuff prior to and you are simply too fantastic. I actually like what you have received here, certainly like what you’re saying and the way through which you are saying it. You make it enjoyable and you still care for to stay it smart. I cant wait to read far more from you. That is really a terrific web site.
Well I guess I don’t have to spend the weekend figuring this one out!
Boy that really helps me the heck out.
Other nations in Western Europe seem to be interested in things of immediate, or at least short term benefit. How to make a breech loader, how to make an airplane. Vladimir and co seem to be interested in everything. Thus I question the think tank idea. I don’t believe that Russians are stupider than anyone else. I also don’t believe that they are brighter.
Sick and tired of obtaining low numbers of useless visitors to your website? Well i wish to inform you of a fresh underground tactic that produces me personally $900 per day on 100% AUTOPILOT. I could be here all day and going into detail but why dont you just check their site out? There is really a excellent video that explains everything. So if your serious about making simple hard cash this is the website for you.
I can’t believe I’ve been going for years without knowing that.
I don’t know if it’s just me or if everybody else encountering problems with your blog. It looks like some of the written text in your content are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them as well? This could be a issue with my web browser because I’ve had this happen before. Cheers
It’s a pleasure to find such rationality in an answer. Welcome to the debate.
All things considered, this is a first class post
I just wanted to type a brief remark in order to appreciate you for those marvelous advice you are showing at this website. My prolonged internet search has at the end of the day been paid with brilliant facts to share with my great friends. I ‘d point out that we site visitors are definitely endowed to be in a fantastic place with very many wonderful people with valuable secrets. I feel pretty fortunate to have used the web pages and look forward to so many more pleasurable moments reading here. Thanks a lot once more for a lot of things.
Reading posts like this make surfing such a pleasure
Superbly illuminating data here, thanks!
Well put, sir, well put. I’ll certainly make note of that.
I was drawn by the honesty of what you write
I found just what I was needed, and it was entertaining!
Grazi for making it nice and EZ.
Posts like this brighten up my day. Thanks for taking the time.
Absolutely first rate and copper-bottomed, gentlemen!
If you’re reading this, you’re all set, pardner!
Yeah that’s what I’m talking about baby–nice work!
Haha, shouldn’t you be charging for that kind of knowledge?!
Great thinking! That really breaks the mold!
I thought finding this would be so arduous but it’s a breeze!
Thinking like that shows an expert’s touch
God, I feel like I should be takin notes! Great work
Yours is a clever way of thinking about it.
Always the best content from these prodigious writers.
That’s an ingenious way of thinking about it.
Real brain power on display. Thanks for that answer!
Learning a ton from these neat articles.
I literally jumped out of my chair and danced after reading this!
Not bad at all fellas and gallas. Thanks.