Category Archives: Troubles

White-knuckle sailing

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

For me, one of life’s great pleasures is sailing, and I always hope for a steady ten to fifteen knot wind. Five to ten knots of wind is pleasant, less than five knots is boring; but the one thing I … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, God's presence, Tested, Trials and testings, Troubles | Leave a comment

Disappointed? Often! Discouraged? Sometimes! Defeated? Never!

Posted on April 29, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

Scott Peck’s famous book, The Road Less Traveled, opens with the words:’Life is difficult.’ He says we’ll never get on top of life until we accept this fundamental truth, but when we do accept it, the fact that life is … Continue reading →

Posted in Spiritual growth, Spiritual Insight, Strength, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble, Tried, Troubles, Victory, Winners | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What seems to be tragic may actually become an occasion for joy

Posted on March 29, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

Joe Wagner once attended an auction where a little girl’s champion lamb went up for sale. As the bids came in, the little girl, standing beside the lamb, began to cry. The higher the bids rose, the more she cried. … Continue reading →

Posted in Joy, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble, Troubles | Leave a comment

Afflictions v Affections

Posted on November 11, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Malcolm Muggeridge, just before his death, said: ‘Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially desolating and painful with particular satisfaction. Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I … Continue reading →

Posted in Strength, Tested, Trials and testings, Tried, Troubles | Leave a comment

Sparrows don’t worry

Posted on June 18, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

A construction crew building a new road had to knock down trees as it progressed. Their supervisor noticed that one tree had a nest of young birds who couldn’t yet fly, so he marked it not to be bulldozed. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundant life, Anxiety, Divine Protection, Faith, God with us, God's faithfulness, Trials and testings, Troubles | Leave a comment

The Captain smiled at me

Posted on June 18, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Robert Louis Stevenson used to tell the story of a ship being battered by a huge storm. The crew were terrified and one young sailor gave way to panic and left his post to rush to the bridge, where he … Continue reading →

Posted in Confidence, Danger, Divine Protection, Faith, God with us, Peace, Trials and testings, Troubles | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Beyond the storms lies the Pacific

Posted on April 10, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

In 1520 the explorer Ferdinand Magellan battled for a year to find a passage around the tip of South America, encountering some of the worst weather anywhere on earth. Raging seas, towering ice floes, and a mutinous crew plagued his … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Heaven, Jesus, Life, Life's journey, Living Life, Peace, Storms of life, Tranquility, Troubles, Trust in God | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Nursing a grudge won’t make it get better

Posted on April 2, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old story about two monks who came to a river crossing and found an old woman sitting there afraid to venture into the water. Much to the annoyance of his companion, one of the monks volunteered them to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bitterness, Feelings, Hurting ourselves, Pain, Renewed Minds, Resentment, Troubles | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Moving on

Posted on January 28, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

You may remember the story of Aaron Ralston who, a few years ago, while climbing in Utah, pushed his arm into a crack in the rock face and then got trapped by a large boulder. Everthing he tried failed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Courage, Endurance, Overcoming, Pain, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble, Tried, Troubles | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

You can get bitter, or you can get better

Posted on December 31, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The best selling book entitled You Can Grow Bitter or You Can Grow Better got it’s inspiration from a young woman who had just received word that her husband had been killed in a farming accident, leaving her alone with … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Growth, Healing, Hope, Life, Life's journey, Overcoming, Pain, Spiritual growth, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble, Tried, Troubles | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment