“The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?” (Proverbs 18:14, NKJV)
PONDER THIS!
It is reported that when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed in New Your City, as he was rushed to the hospital, placed on a stretcher and rolled down the corridor, before entering the operating room, the noted theologian and Howard University professor, Dr. Howard Thurman, met him there and spoke these words to him, “Martin, watch your spirit.” It is said that Dr. Thurman, who was Dr. King’s longtime friend and mentor, said these words three times, “Martin, watch your spirit.”
You see, what Dr. Thurman was saying to Dr. King then and to us now, is that there is something worse than broken bones, stab wounds and a battered body. It is a broken spirit.
I say to you today as Dr. Thurman said to Dr. King, “Watch your spirit.” As this proverb lets us know, even in sickness, if a person has a good, positive, encouraged spirit, that individual can be at peace and has a greater chance of recovery. Yet, a person with a broken spirit is more apt to wither away and die, because that individual has given up on hope and life.
1. How is your spirit today?
2. Are you encouraged or discouraged?
3. Have you allowed for life’s troubles and opposition to cause you to give up or give in?
4. Have you quit or are you determined to fight on to the end?
I say to you today, as Dr. Thurman said to Dr. King, “Watch your spirit!” When life get’s tough, “Watch your spirit.” When things seem to be going crazy around you, “Watch your spirit.” When it seems all hope is lost, don’t give up, “Watch your spirit.” The spirit of an individual will sustain him or her, even in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit. WATCH YOUR SPIRIT!