“We may count how many acorns are on an oak tree, but how many oak trees are in an acorn?” Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn". Matthew 19:26, “But Jesus … said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” We don’t know the future, but it is exciting to think of the potential. Hey, start something great today!
In 2013 I did a Vacation Bible School program about deep sea creatures. All of them were absolutely ugly with bizarre features. The deep-sea Angler has a luminescent appendage that wiggles like a fishing lure! It glows in the blackness of the ocean depths luring unsuspecting prey within range of its sharp teeth. The Blobfish is dubbed ‘the ugliest fish in the ocean’ with its big nose and large mouth. The Viperfish looks more like a snake than a fish. These creatures live over 5 miles deep in the ocean where the pressure is almost 6 tons per square inch! But how can they survive that pressure?! Well, they are able to live down in the depths because the pressure on the inside is the same as the pressure on the outside. Great lesson: to be able to withstand the pressures of the world from the outside, we must have the Lord’s faith and indwelling Holy Spirit power on the inside. Annie Johnson Flint wrote,
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater;
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase.
To added affliction He addeth His mercy;
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His pow’r has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
As I age, I think of the ‘good old days’ more often. Days when things were so much simpler and life was so much slower than it is today. My parents had a big garden and my Granny Whitely living next door had a big garden too. And back in that former time, about this time of the year, we picked fresh green beans out of the garden. The “half-runner” variety of beans had strings on both sides that had to be pulled off. Then they had to be snapped into three or four pieces and finally dropped them into a pot of cold water. The process was slow and tedious but was made easier by several hands working together. And while stringing and snapping the green beans, life was discussed. My mother and Granny Whitely would pull the strings, and I would snap the beans dropping them into the pot. Mom and Granny would talk and I would listen … and learn. Some of the talk was gossip but much of the talk was wisdom. I learned about life and love and losses, and about the good Lord’s faithfulness. Wonderful memories. When the aging apostle Paul was in prison in Rome, he recalled the ‘good old days’ while writing to his young protégée, Timothy. Paul said in II Timothy 1:5, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” When we have a Godly family, we can stand on their shoulders and accomplish more for the Lord than they did. Hey, did you have a Godly family? If not, you can start a Godly family for your children. Be intentional and build those memories. You’ll be glad that you did.
