Obstinate Pistachio

Today I was eating Pistachios while I worked. Most of the nuts were mature, so their shells were partially opened, making them easy to crack. But I came across one with only the tiniest crack in it. Normally one would be inclined to throw such a potentially stubborn nut away with the shells, but I gave it a go. I placed my well-trimmed thumb nails as best I could between the sides of this small crack, and gave it a pull. The nut came open with little resistance.

This mundane experience got me thinking. It's almost ironic how simply a seemingly insurmountable task can sometimes be overcome. Life is full of those moments where we gauge if we should even give a task a go, or if it is too big for us to handle. Many even go through life never attempting to accomplish any tasks that at first attempt seems to press against them with any sort of force. We often forget that the reward for overcoming an obstacle is self-evident. I know that pistachio tasted way better than the rest!

A neat example of this is the guy in the video above. He's a 34 year old fisherman from Japan, and is only the second person in the world to have ever completed this obstacle course. Over 500 people before him have tried and failed. I'd say the odds were pretty well against him. I'm pretty sure that the show he was on rewarded him for his ability with money or a trip or prizes, but I guarantee you that the greatest reward in his mind was accomplishing a task that most considered impossible for him to overcome.

When we have God's backing in a situation, the reward is so much more flavorful and easily attained. When He causes us to prevail it helps us to remember that He's there to back us up, and that strengthens our relationship with Him. When God has our backs, there isn't anything we can't overcome and this is even more so true when you tackle that situation with another believer.

"What people say you cannot do, you try and find that you can."

- H. D. Thoreau

Video Source: Amazing Stuff

Panda Bounce

You don't have to speak Japanese to enjoy this incredibly cute, rather confusing Panda Bounce game, but it probably would rid you of the confusing part. To start out, click on the top gray panda paw. You play the game by bouncing the adorable panda bears on a trampoline carried by baby squirrels! That's just crazy!

The object of the game is to get the fruit off of the line above you. You have a counter in the upper-left corner of your screen that tells you how many more of each fruit you need to get to the next round. When you get all the fruit you need, you start seeing golden apples. When you get a golden apple, you win the round. I'm still not sure what the ninja, monkey boy and worm are all about but I'm pretty sure it's not good... Or are they?

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