heart

March 11 – No Excuses

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There are four small creatures wisest of the wise they are—ants—frail as they are, get plenty of food in for the winter; marmots—vulnerable as they are, manage to arrange for rock-solid homes; locusts—leaderless insects, yet they strip the field like an army regiment; lizards—easy enough to catch, but they sneak past vigilant palace guards. Proverbs 30:21-23 NKJV

Want to know the difference between an excuse and a reason? I will come back to that in a minute.

It’s not the case every time, but it happens a lot of the time. I meet someone whom I admire their achievements and successful Ideas. And they are short! It’s become comical to me anymore.

Growing up, tall was what we all wanted to be. And if you were one of the unlucky ones who had “vertically challenged” DNA molecules flowing around your growth plates, you tended to get picked on.

Truth of the matter, it has never really mattered in the grand scheme of things how big a person was on the outside. It was the heart and will residing on the inside that counted.

Nature is full of examples and mini-marvels that warrant wonder. But any “achiever” I know, small, medium, or large has a particular common code of conduct: to them, there is no such thing as an excuse and thus, there is no reason to discuss their inabilities.

So what there’s plenty of food at the supermarket…fill the cellar anyway!

So what you don’t make a lot of money…save up and build a home anyway!

So what there is no one to tell you what to do…make a decision anyway!

So what if somebody more popular is singing your song…you sing it anyway!

Don’t wait for the sun to come out or the “fair police” to come to your aid. You are here, you are able. And that’s reason enough!

Lorenzo

December 4 – “X” Marks the Spot

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Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out. Proverbs 20:5
I have no idea where you keep your stuff. The things you make public are only the surface elements that matter to you. But the deep things, the precious things, are hidden somewhere.
I don’t blame you. I do the same thing. And not just with material goods, but “heart” stuff. If we get to know each other, I share some of those treasures when I deem its safe to do so…otherwise, the big ticket items never see the light of day.

However, I must confess, I have experienced unique moments where I was in the presence of an individual who seem to be able to see into my hiding place with abnormal clarity. And in those instances, I either came away relieved or really guarded (just being honest).

I have learned over the years and through biblical excavation, this ability to “see” beyond the seen is pretty special and can bring about heavenly results.

In the case of Abraham, he got old and was concerned for his son’s future. So he sent his head servant back to his homeland in search of the right girl. All the servant had at his disposal to guide him was the words, “The God who directed me to leave will send angels to guide you to the right one.”

Here’s what the servant prayed when he got there:
“O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” Genesis 24:12-14

Read on and you will find he nailed it. Indeed, God lead him to the right one and Isaac got the girl. But the big deal that speaks to me these many years later is…it is possible to see the unseen. I can ask God and He will reveal the treasures hidden deep down on the inside of the situation.

Only remember, to the one who sees the gold must hold it rightly. If not, its’ brilliance will consume you and reduce you to the lowliest of thieves.

“X” marks the spot!

September 10 – Worth the Fight

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Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

Last winter out here on the farm, I was checking a bunch of mama cows who were calving (having their babies). Snow had come in and the temperature had dropped down into the low 20’s.

Though I didn’t grow up farming, I’ve learned in the past few years helping my wife’s family that a good mama cow tends to be more prone to calve when the temperature drops or during a full moon.

We found one of the mamas we’d been watching down in a canyon on full alert. That was a good sign she’d had her calf. We looked and looked and finally we found the baby deep in an embankment. Lord knows how long she had been there. We had to figure out how to get her without getting “got” by mama cow! My son and I finally got the momma cow to focus on him while I got the calf and laid her on the bed of the truck.

The baby was blind, we discovered, and impaired so much by the brutal temperatures that her natural instincts to nurse didn’t kick in. But regardless, the momma cow was going to guard that little bundle with a vengeance, if it killed her.

If I would have protected my heart with that kind of tenacity when I was younger, I wouldn’t have had the scars that I still carry as an adult. You may relate. Still, thank God for mercy and the sea of forgetfulness.

Therefore, today’s Proverb serves as a reminder. Out of the heart flows the “issues of our lives.” Lose the heart, lose the zeal. Lose the zeal, lose the joy. Lose the joy and it won’t be long until depression sets in and the reason for living grows dim.

Lord, today, let us not lose the fight. Our lives depend on it!