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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Achievement (03/08/12)
I sat looking at the wall of my office at all the awards I’d received over the years. At first they played a part as to what drove me towards my many achievements.. Each little placard had its place. I was so proud of my very first one. I still remember it as if it were yesterday although it has been 65 years since then. I had started at the bottom and worked my way up to this plush office on the top floor of one of the most prestigious law firms in New York.

Seeing my name, Joshua Andrews, written in gold inspired me at first. I had been working in this law firm paying my own way through college back then. I like my grandparents were taught that if you wanted anything worthwhile in life you had to work, and work hard for it.

I arose early each morning, read my Bible to get my mind on what was important, and asked God for His guidance. After breakfast I’d be off to my first class, and then off to work. I was blessed in the fact that my employer worked with me so I could get my degree to become a lawyer.

After I graduated from college I continued my studies and finally passed my bar examine. I was still a long way from becoming a full fledged lawyer, but as long as I kept my focus, and stayed grounded in God’s teachings I knew I’d reach my goal.

Some of my colleagues struggled in attaining their goals. They depended upon their own abilities and it reminded me of Jeremiah 17:5-8. “This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.’

God has blessed me richly. I have a family, several grandchildren, and a joy that cannot be hidden. I’m thankful for all the humanitarian awards, but I don’t call them my achievements. They belong to God. He is the achiever in my opinion, and I’m the worker.
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This article has been read 718 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
03/16/12
I really like your message. It is true, all of our achievements are for naught without Jesus. He is the one who should get all of the glory.

Tiny red ink - In one sentence you wrote i like my grandparent and there should be commas around the phrase like my grandparents.

You did a nice job of staying on topic while delivering a poignant message.
Dannie Hawley 
03/18/12
This is a good lesson for all of us. Many restaurant owners display their first dollar earnned in a frame at the cashier's counter, while others have it in the largest frame in their own office to remind them that there was a time of beginning and just Who has helped them all along the way. Thanks for this article and nice job.
C D Swanson 
03/21/12
Well written and well said. Amen! I loved this important and profound message. Powerful and yet subtle at once.

Thank you so much.
God Bless~