<\/p>\n
\u201cIn life it is more necessary to lose than to gain. A seed will only germinate if it dies\u201d (Boris Pasternak).<\/p>\n
A \u201cBREAKTHROUGH\u201d IS A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT, ONE THAT OPENS THE DOOR TO MUCH FURTHER PROGRESS. It\u2019s important in life to take whatever steps we can take, however small, and we ought not to underestimate the value of ordinary progress. But isn\u2019t it exciting when a big<\/em> step can be taken? On those occasions when some significant barrier or obstacle is overcome and we find ourselves in the presence of a whole new range of possibilities, that\u2019s when we\u2019re glad we kept going when it would have been easy to give up.<\/p>\n As can be seen from the word itself, \u201cbreakthroughs\u201d involve \u201cbreaking through\u201d limits. The limit might be what we think is possible. It might be what we\u2019ve been able to do in the past. It might be what we presently know or understand. Or (and this is perhaps the most common limit of all) it might be what we feel in the mood to do. Limits come in many shapes and sizes, but they all have this in common: they keep us from going anywhere but where we are right now. In one way or another, limits bind us to the status quo.<\/p>\n When we have a breakthrough, we burst out of our limits and move ahead into new territory. The barriers are broken, and we learn that what we were previously limited from doing, we can now do.<\/p>\n We\u2019d all like to enjoy breakthroughs more often, but we don\u2019t because we\u2019re not willing to pay the price. Although they hinder us, limits do provide a certain amount of comfort and familiarity. And people who aren\u2019t willing to experience the discomfort of \u201cbreaking through\u201d are doomed to stay where they are. We have to lose certain things in order to gain others, and the loss can sometimes be so dramatic that it feels like death. But we can\u2019t have it both ways at once. As Pasternak observed, \u201cA seed will only germinate if it dies.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps that\u2019s why people with the pioneering spirit aren\u2019t very common. For all our talk about wanting progress, most of us are content to stick with what we\u2019ve already got. But thank goodness for those who\u2019ve got the courage to break through their limitations! Let\u2019s appreciate them for the sacrifices they\u2019ve been willing to make, especially when those changes were scary and unsettling.<\/p>\n \u201cOne doesn\u2019t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time\u201d (Andr\u00e9 Gide).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n