We live in a word that is always on the lookout for short-cuts.
We know there is no such thing as an investment that yields extremely high rates of return without risk, yet we invest in the latest pyramid scheme anyway. It seems that we place common sense to the side when the promise of easy money is in front of us. Values, priorities, and ethics all come second to the promise of new income and financial security.
We understand that relationships require an ongoing application of time and openness, yet we take them for granted and wonder aloud when they do not grow on their own. The pursuit of money to put food on the table is the blanket we wear as we ignore the gift of children in the present. Our best friends drift into persons who share physical things with us because we assumed they would always understand.
We look anywhere but to ourselves when something go wrong, knowing all to well that we are the primary source of our problems. The very subjects I often talk with others about often reflect the garden needing tending in my life. I act as if there is a quick way to solve any problem, knowing that most require reflection, acknowledgement, and God’s help.
The harsh reality is that even though it may be obvious to everyone around us, we find it difficult to connect the “if” and “when” with the “then”. The good news is this; God understands and anticipates the “if” and “when” in our lives and has made sure that there is a solution to the “then”.
Solomon reminds us bluntly: “No cattle, no crops; a good harvest requires a strong ox for the plow.” (Proverbs 14.4)
My testimony is this: No God, no hope; a life lived to the full requires a personal decision to give God everything we have. When this is my life priority, then God’s life is His gift to me. My efforts are required, but never sufficient. God’s heart is open and waiting for you and me.
