Preparing

Yesterday I posted about location.  This morning I was thinking about those trees that were spoken of in Psalm 1, which I quoted yesterday, and the small acorns that don’t give a clue about the strength potential that is in their tiny packages.  It isn’t until the right environment is present, the right tending has been made, the consistency over time of the necessary ingredients of soil and light and water that finally reveals what was going on.  You could see a little of it along the way, but only after years pass is it evident of its full potential.

Our lives are the same.  We each have the DNA for remarkable stuff.  We literally were made for it.  Unlike the acorn, which always and ONLY can grow into an oak tree, human lives, when given to the best environment have a gigantic array of what they can produce.  The atmosphere isn’t any less important for men, women, and children than it is for acorns. 

No matter the damage of the surroundings that you may have already been affected by, today can be a new beginning.  Just start where you are.  Say a prayer of thanks and ask God for help and direction and wisdom.  Read a passage of the Bible.  Even if you don’t have one, if you are reading this, you can get to a passage online.  Try the book of John if you don’t know where to start.  As you go through your day, be mindful that you are not alone and that there are miracles waiting to come as you watch for opportunities to respond and do good.   Sometime soon, carve out a few minutes to start envisioning the kind of person you want to BE.  The specific things you DO are, in some ways, far less important than determining the kind of character you want to be developed in you. 

Be humble.  Work on saying “I’m sorry” when you need to, and “I was wrong” when you were. Those words (when the times come) are like oil of our lives. We will dry out and harden if they are absent from our vocabulary. Take responsibility for your actions and repair what you can.  Listen to your conscience.  Those things are the soil, air, and water for our souls.  Prepare your life for the seed you are.  Guard against the things that can cause a seed to miss its life (Matthew 13). 

Go be the blessing you were designed to be.