Living Paradox

                                                     Paradox
Any person, thing or situation exhibiting an apparent contradictory nature

Playing sports exposes a dilemma for me. I think I have to make a choice - be clever and tough or be measured and well-behaved. The fact: I want to win. The question: Can I be both?

Work life brings no less a challenge - create a demanding environment or a supportive one. The fact: Excellence is non-negotiable. The question: Can it be both?

Vince Lombardi, Jr. and Jim Collins call the struggle of this dilemma "the tyranny of the Or". They say the choice does not have to be either/or. When we unlock the mystery wrapped in the "genius of the And", surprising truth is revealed.

The truth is that:

• True greatness comes through humility
• Strength is often revealed in weakness
• Deferring to others is another way of being first

Amazingly these truths of "living paradoxes" sound familiar. . . .because they are Jesus’ ideas. He referred to many paradoxical truths as He walked the earth. They are astounding and stop us in our tracks. Yet the mysterious truths that paradoxes reveal can only be fully understood when viewed through the eyes of God - an eternal perspective. This week, dare we deeply consider the living paradox. . .

...For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it. (Luke 9:24)

Sharing the journey with you,