Most of us have probably seen the bumper sticker: “I’d rather be ____________”—“fishing” or “skiing” or whatever the fancy of the owner of the bumper sticker is. That’s the way I felt one day in elementary school. We were having a vocabulary lesson. “Encouragement” was the word of the moment. Having another word to learn, and discovering its definition, was not that encouraging to an elementary student who would rather be doing almost anything rather than school work. I could have filled in several words on my bumper sticker.
Life’s Disciplines
Like many things in life, disciplines of the moment can often bring a positive, new outlook at a later time. Even some of life’s most difficult moments are often setting the stage for the future. Today’s discouraging news could be God’s tool for tomorrow’s encouraging circumstances.
Today’s Prophecies
Even Ezekiel’s prophecies of doom, which included grief, loneliness, and often significant losses, were followed by assurances of a new direction, a new heart, and a new opportunity. God offers his Spirit to re-energize each person’s life with a new heart, one which can be expressed in a new life, a life of righteousness.
The next time we determine to fill in the blank on our own bumper sticker, we may be better off to leave it blank until God can fill that blank with his encouraging opportunities. |L
Larry D. Pierson is the preaching minister of the Jamestown Christian Church, Jamestown, Indiana. He and his wife Ruth Ann have two children and two grandchildren.
