Tim's World

Those who wait for perfect weather
will never plant seeds;
those who look at every cloud
will never harvest crops…
Plant early in the morning,
and work until evening,
because you don’t know if this or that will succeed.
They might both do well. – Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6

I am challenged this morning in my steps to start 2012 with a fresh start. I have set aside the annual New Year’s Resolutions (which I repeatedly fail), and prayerfully sought God’s best for me in my physical health, relationships, work and ministry and personal growth. The renewed vision of God’s path for me was like a breath of fresh air after spending an hour in a discount perfume store. One of the significant challenges in taking the right steps and decisions in following this new path was life. Life gets in the way of the best laid plans: we get busy, the urgent commands our time, sickness, family, distractions, finances, etc. We could easily accomplish all that we hope if we lived in a vacuum world and we controlled all the environmental factors.

I daydream of what my day would be like in “Tim’s World”. I would get up early spend an hour in prayer and devotions, create a breakfast feast of Swedish Pancakes & eggs for my family, workout in a gym for 2 hours (sauna time included), enjoy a relaxed conversation with my beautiful wife over a cup of freshly brewed coffee, read a chapter from each of the three books I am currently reading, write another inspiring, witty blog, delve into deep thoughts in my journal, begin writing a book…then head off to the office at 8:00 AM and begin my day. I could probably accomplish all of the above if I chose to ignore that pesky time waster, sleep.

“Tim’s World” may never exist, but sometimes I fail to take daily action on the right thing to do for that day because I am still fantasizing about the perfect conditions to accomplish it. The reality is today is the perfect day for action. You may not feel like it, feel discouraged, tired, unmotivated, overworked, etc., but if you wait for the stars to align, time to stand still, and the “perfect” conditions, you will miss out on taking a step of action today. I think that’s what the writer of ancient wisdom in Ecclesiastes shares with us – Plant today, even if its muddy, chilly, and wet, and a harvest will come. For me…well at least I was able to write this blog…by noon.