winston churchill, magic eye, and discernment

I’ve heard of Churchill’s famous speech, you know, the one where he stands and says, “Never, Never, Never, Never give up.”  Then he sits down.  Turns out, that’s an urban legend.  It’s part of a larger speech, and what he really said was:

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

You can find the audio of the speech here.

I spent a litle while today trying to figure out the Magic Eye stuff.  You remember the Magic Eye, right?  I can’t do it.  Now before you start with your smug, “It’s so easy!  I can see the hidden image–it’s a cat playing with a ball of yarn” shpiel, save it.  I don’t want to hear it.

I tried all the tricks they suggest.  Don’t focus on the picture, look through the picture, bring it up close and move it away, blah blah blah…Believe me, I’ve never had a problem with focus–I can not focus on anything with the greatest of ease.

But I can’t see the stinkin hidden image.

So what do I do to resolve the seeming conflict of Sir Winnie’s message with the nefarious Magic Eye?

Discernment.

There is a time to move on, to quit, to capitulate, to cut your losses and let it go.

There are things that must be fought for, things so important that they must be pursued, must be met with resolve, must be seen through to the end.  Things like building a strong marriage, restoring a friendship, parenting, resolving conflict, the art/discipline of following Jesus…

But the key to it all is discernment.  Knowing when to pull the plug on a difficult task is vital.  Having the wisdom and discernment to know when it’s time to dig in and refuse to buckle under trying circumstances is crucial.

Just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do; and simply because it’s difficult, taxing, trying does not mean that it’s not the path that God has chosen for you.

So dig in, pray up, and fight for the things that are important.

Just keep your Magic Eye bragging to yourself.