BUILDING A BETTER LIFE

P.O Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331
Phone/Fax: (08) 98 418 418
E-mail: abl-alb@omninet.net.au

BUILDING A BETTER LIFE
"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven stages." These familiar words are found in Shakespeare's As You Like It, act 2, scene 7. In the lines that follow, Shakespeare tells about the infant, the schoolboy, the lover, the soldier, the justice, "the lean and slipper'd pantaloon," and the second childhood. Another author has referred to the stages of life in a more contemporary manner: "We pass on from charming childhood to the tender teens; then from the teachable twenties into the tireless thirties; then the fiery forties and the forceful fifties; then come the serious sixties, the sober seventies, the aching eighties, and finally death, the sod, God!" Friend, whatever method one may choose to describe the stages or periods of life, and no matter how challenging, exciting, happy, and rewarding each may be, it is certain that each period will have its own crisis. The truth is, that at no stage in the life of any individual is there an absence of tension or turmoil. For instance, it is not easy for a baby to learn to walk, to talk, or to feed itself. And as we look back on our early school years, we may be tempted to think of them as simple and idyllic, but if we do, it is because we have forgotten the tears and fears, the uncertainties and frustrations which punctuated the happy and rewarding childhood experiences. Later in life, it is difficult to remember the depth of the anxieties of our teen years, but no teen-ager is unaware of their reality. So it is with each of the other periods of life. Throughout our lives, as we face the crises which may seem overwhelming at the moment, we feel a need for help. That help often comes in the person of a family member, a teacher, a friend, or a professional. Sometimes we can solve our own problems. At other times we need to read and learn from others who have faced the same difficult situation and have successfully solved its intricacies. But for the deeper problems of life, there is one special source: the inspired Scriptures. And as we take the time to read and come to understand the principles which God has included in His divine Word, we can often see rays of light which provide the insights which help us know how to solve the problems in our lives. Friend, I confidently believe that the truths of God have infinite value in helping us to survive the crisis in each of our lives. In fact, this is the reason the Discovering A BETTER LIFE team present these messages through this column and others, which deal with some of the most serious trouble spots in life. We draw on many sources for ideas and suggestions, but we have found our greatest source of strength in the teachings of Jesus Christ, as found in the Bible. And we share these messages with you, with absolute confidence that they can be of great help to you in surviving the crisis in your life and help you to build a better life for yourself and your family. Friend, if you are facing some crisis in your life at this present time and would like help to put your life back together, we'd like to help by sending you a FREE booklet titled "DEALING POSITIVELY WITH CRISIS." To receive your copy by return mail, simply write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE, P.O. Box 1540, Albany WA 6331. You can phone your request on: 9841 8418. Email: abl-alb@omninet.net.au The English word 'crisis' is translated by the Chinese by two little characters; one means 'Danger' and the other means 'opportunity.

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven stages."

These familiar words are found in Shakespeare's As You Like It, act 2, scene 7. In the lines that follow, Shakespeare tells about the infant, the schoolboy, the lover, the soldier, the justice, "the lean and slipper'd pantaloon," and the second childhood. Another author has referred to the stages of life in a more contemporary manner:

"We pass on from charming childhood to the tender teens; then from the teachable twenties into the tireless thirties; then the fiery forties and the forceful fifties; then come the serious sixties, the sober seventies, the aching eighties, and finally death, the sod, God!"

Friend, whatever method one may choose to describe the stages or periods of life, and no matter how challenging, exciting, happy, and rewarding each may be, it is certain that each period will have its own crisis.

The truth is, that at no stage in the life of any individual is there an absence of tension or turmoil. For instance, it is not easy for a baby to learn to walk, to talk, or to feed itself. And as we look back on our early school years, we may be tempted to think of them as simple and idyllic, but if we do, it is because we have forgotten the tears and fears, the uncertainties and frustrations which punctuated the happy and rewarding childhood experiences. Later in life, it is difficult to remember the depth of the anxieties of our teen years, but no teen-ager is unaware of their reality. So it is with each of the other periods of life.

Throughout our lives, as we face the crises which may seem overwhelming at the moment, we feel a need for help. That help often comes in the person of a family member, a teacher, a friend, or a professional. Sometimes we can solve our own problems. At other times we need to read and learn from others who have faced the same difficult situation and have successfully solved its intricacies. But for the deeper problems of life, there is one special source: the inspired Scriptures. And as we take the time to read and come to understand the principles which God has included in His divine Word, we can often see rays of light which provide the insights which help us know how to solve the problems in our lives.

Friend, I confidently believe that the truths of God have infinite value in helping us to survive the crisis in each of our lives. In fact, this is the reason the Discovering A BETTER LIFE team present these messages through this column and others, which deal with some of the most serious trouble spots in life. We draw on many sources for ideas and suggestions, but we have found our greatest source of strength in the teachings of Jesus Christ, as found in the Bible. And we share these messages with you, with absolute confidence that they can be of great help to you in surviving the crisis in your life and help you to build a better life for yourself and your family.

Friend, if you are facing some crisis in your life at this present time and would like help to put your life back together, we'd like to help by sending you a FREE booklet titled "DEALING POSITIVELY WITH CRISIS." To receive your copy by return mail, simply write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE, P.O. Box 1540, Albany WA 6331. You can phone your request on: 9841 8418. Email: abl-alb@omninet.net.au The English word 'crisis' is translated by the Chinese by two little characters; one means 'Danger' and the other means 'opportunity.