First, on giving: in order to give, one must first have. You cannot pour from an empty cup. Refill, or you’ll soon be no good to anyone—even yourself.
On problems:
You start off learning about chaos theory, and how, through the butterfly effect, our lives are the aftermaths of several tiny events that happened or didn’t happen. Farnam Street wrote a masterpiece about it.
Your realize how much is shaped on providence. A lot of which might not have happened if certain conditions were not in place.
Think of the last major challenge you had. You thought it was the end of the road. Look around you: you’re past it now, and you’re still here. Problems are deceptive. No matter how many of them you face, every single one makes you forget that you always win. Every new problem makes you doubt your past confidence.
You would think that with the amount of difficulties you overcame in the past you’d get better at handling present challenges. It’s rarely ever the case because problems are deceptive. They rob us of our biggest weapon— remembrance. They make you forget past victories and simply think they were random bits of narrow, lucky escape.
Maybe that’s just what providence means: a narrow, lucky escape every single time. Maybe all we need to get past difficulties is the assurance of a narrow, lucky escape. Soon you realize there is a design to it. Some sort of pattern: that every problem is designed with a solution. Every problem comes with a unique proposition that requires a sequence of events and (sometimes) people, to solve.
You learn that there are specific people who have been placed in your life at a specific time, for a specific purpose. It is important that you recognize them. It won’t be easy.
When you discover them, you soon realize that was only half the task. The most important part is knowing how to keep them. I find that one way to do so is to remember that value is a two-way street. Be ready to help as much as you’re willing to receive.
“I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it’s gone, you will be welcomed into the eternal homes.” Luke 16:9
A key part of problem-solving is knowing what solutions to deploy. To understand solutions is to understand the resources at your disposal —what do you need? Whom should you speak to? How much time do you have?
