[Im]possible standards

This week I have struggled.  The attacks of the enemy have cut deep. Interestingly, the attacks have all come against my high standards.  I fully believe that people are way more capable than they believe they are.  I see potential in people, and I fight to help them see that God has created them for more. Unfortunately, they are often content in their misery, and many judge my heart wrongly. They accuse me of being cruel. While it’s not easy to hear, I understand that thinking. 

Many years ago now, I was in Army Basic Training. The drill sergeants seemed merciless.  They would drive us and push us to be the best we could be. The strain was sometimes unbearable. But we survived and, eventually, laughed at how much punishment we had endured.  Later, after becoming an officer, I realized that what I had seen as punishment and torture was actually love.  These men and women knew that ultimately I would be tested to the limits.  War is intense – physically and spiritually – and we must build up our endurance if we are to survive.  If they did not push me, then I would have fallen. They built tenacity within me, the strength to never surrender.  When I am told of the enemy, I do not ask how many? or how strong? but rather, where? I go into the fight confident of victory, regardless of the odds.  I want to give this gift to the people in my life.  I love them that much.

~ Rich Schaus, former Director of UGM Crisis Shelter for Women & Children