The Plumbline

A long time ago, a friend gave me an illustration which has stuck with me through the years. He held out a beautiful Montblanc pen, (since I am a writer, pens are kind of a passion of mine), and asked me to "try" to take the pen away from him. Seeing this as an easy thing, I reached out to his outstretched hand to take the pen. Now the pen was in my possession, or so I thought. He then corrected me with the following: He told me to only "try" to take the pen! When I responded with a quizzical look on my face, he used this illustration to speak a life-lesson. Knowing my passion for words, he was showing me the very first definition of the word "try" is really something quite different than we might suppose. In fact, it means to "attempt" to accomplish something. It does not imply actually "doing" it - just attempting it! We talked for a while about "trying" versus "doing". We go through life doing a whole lot of ...

How can a young person live a pure life?    By obeying your word.  I try with all my heart to serve you.    Help me obey your commands.  I study your teachings very carefully  so that I will not sin against you.  Lord , you are worthy of praise!    Teach me your laws.  I will repeat the laws we have heard from you.  I enjoy following your rules  as much as others enjoy great riches.  I will study your instructions.    I will give thought to your way of life.  I enjoy your laws.  I will not forget your word.   (Psalm 119:9-16 ERV) " Do, or do not. There is no try ." (Yoda - Star Wars) "I'll try" is one of the most overused phrases in the English vocabulary! We "try" to make it to some event that we really don't want to go to anyway. We "try" to learn how something is done, but there is no real joy in our effort and we'd rather just avoid it anyway. We "try" something new, but we know ...