Years ago there was a children’s book titled something along the lines of The Little Train Engine Who Could. That title is probably not correct, but the theme of the story was that the train engine overcame obstacles by believing that he could. He repeated the phrase “I think I can ” until he finally climbed the hill. In America, we often hear testimonials from the same idea. We are taught to believe that if you work hard enough you can do anything you wish. We are told that the American Dream is accomplished solely by hard work.
Those last two statements are not entirely true. For most people, hard work proves to be insufficient in accomplishing their goals. Unforeseen obstacles happen and strength wears out. As much as we want to succeed in our dreams, we often have to settle for less. That is not to say that hard work is not valuable. It most certainly is.
How can we be sure that good and righteous things happen? Romans 9:16 says, “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. ” God in His mercy makes all good and righteous things happen. These good things may not be what we expect, but they will be what we need. They will be better than we could have dreamed and take us further than we could by our own strength.
Reluctant Retiree 