http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2:16&version=NIV1984
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians+7:17&version=MSG
20 years ago, when I was attending Crown College in Minnesota, each summer and Christmas we would make the trip back to New York. The trip, one-way, was about 1,000 miles. That’s long. Even for 2 days. A couple times I drove that distance in 1 day. Talk about brutal. Besides being long, the worst part of the trip was going through Chicago. (No offense.) At the time Chicago had 2.7 million people and it involved 3 of the 18 hours of our trip: 1 hour approaching Chicago, 1 hour going through the greater Chicago area, and 1 hour leaving Chicago. How many times I dreaded that part of the trip. The traffic. The semi’s. The intense concentration required as people passed you on every side. More often than not, as we approached the city, I found myself wishing that we were already through it. Wouldn’t that be nice. The entire trip would be so much shorter. And relaxing. Despite all my wishing, however, I still had to drive every mile, to, through, and away from Chicago. Mile after mile. The same is true of life.
Wishing doesn’t really accomplish much. Oh sure, it’s a great diversion at times. Wishing we were wealthy. Or healthy. Wishing that we were married. Or no longer married. Wishing that we were on vacation at some exotic location. Those are great diversions when life is boring. Or difficult. However, in the real world. wishing doesn’t do anything. Wishing doesn’t make plans. It doesn’t set goals. It doesn’t make any attempts to change the future. It is simply a diversion. Sometimes an unhealthy one. One that refuses to deal with reality. A diversion that takes away our focus and joy from the present.When Beth & I were at Crown College, our children were a little older than most of the other married student's children. Most of their children were either infants or toddlers. “You guys are so lucky. Your children are older. Out of diapers. They can dress and feed themselves.” On and on it went. These parents obviously weren’t enjoying their children. They were spending their time wishing their children were older. Chances are that if their children were in elementary school they might wish that they were in high school. And when they arrived in high school they might wish they were already through. Which means that they might be off to college. Or living in some other city or state. Or in Iraq or Afghanistan. By this time they would probably be wishing that their children were back home. Again, this is the problem with wishing. It doesn’t do anything proactive or productive. It simply wastes our time in the present. Time we can never get back.
Now I’m not saying that it’s wrong to wish. You just don’t want to stop there. If you do, your wishes will probably never come true. It’s only when you put feet to your wishing, and actually start to do some planning, that your wishes get closer to becoming reality. You start taking a couple college courses. Or you begin to put money aside to start that business. Or you begin getting the training you will need one day. This is action. It’s working toward a goal. A preferred future. It is no longer idle wishing.
So what would you like to see happen in your life? Better yet, what might God be calling you to do? Have you ever wished that you could make a difference in someone’s life? That you could teach a Sunday School class? Or visit people in the hospital? Or lead someone to Christ? You can! You simply have to quit wishing and start doing! Take a step of faith. Volunteer. Speak up. Share the Gospel. Start doing something! And if you do, you just may find that your wishes have come true!
Lord, help me not to wish my life away. Instead help me to take control of it. Rather, to let You take control of it. Help me to step out in faith. To do something. Volunteer. Attend a seminar. Go back to college. Start saving money. Things that will help me to get closer to making my wishes become reality. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment