Pounding

Pounding an item will often make it more tender or flexible. To tenderize meat which is tough, you pound it and it becomes more supple and thereby tastier. Animal hide is pounded in the tanning process, and it becomes soft and pliable. When manufacturing paper, you must pulverize strips of the tree trunk as part of the process. To mill wheat or flour, a crushing of the grain takes place. In all the above cases, when something takes a pounding, there was a change; the item is transformed from a stiff consistency to a more supple one.

However, I am aware of one case in which the pounding of life made one man stronger. When the apostle Paul had his Damascus Road experience, he had his first physical jolt. Being blind for a period of time had to be difficult to deal with, and this was only the beginning for him; the pounding of life and circumstances just kept hitting him time and again. He faced rejection, death plots, beatings, stonings, imprisonments, traveling under adverse circumstances, surviving a shipwreck, snake bites, an untold "thorn" in his side, and finally a physically horrendous death.

In the midst of all the pounding and lashing that came against him, Paul became stronger and more firm in his faith. He exhibited strength beyond belief and a faith that touches the spirit of any believer. He would not bend or give in His beliefs, and because of him, the Gentile were given the Good News of Christ. He was just like the Timex watch- he "took a lickin' and kept on tickin'!"

Praise God for the Apostle Paul, and those who followed in his footsteps.

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Contributed by Marion Smith: noles65@aol.com Comments/Feedback are welcome.