Devotionals
Leaves in a Bottle
September starts the fall season in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It’s amazing how God changes the colors of leaves from green to yellow, orange or red. As if the leaves are drops of water dipped in paint as one by one it falls to the frosty ground. The sight is so wonderful that my youngest child, Riza, a seven-year old girl, took an empty plastic container and collected leaves of different colours. She told me she will bring it to school come Friday for her ‘show and tell’ class. It was Sunday when she collected the leaves. I told Riza that by the time it reaches Friday all the leaves will dry up and their beauty would fade. Firm to her commitment to show the leaves in class, she decided to ‘preserve’ the leaves’ colours. She put water into the plastic container, put the coloured leaves in it, covered the container, and exposed it in the sun. She thought that her collections won’t die if she gives some water and sunlight to it. She did not know that a leaf will stay alive if it is connected to its twig and the twig in its branch and the branch in its tree and the tree in its roots. Only then will the concept of rain and sunshine be applicable to the growth and beauty of a leaf. There is no other way to do it. It is God’s wonderful idea. But since we are human, we try to replicate our own way of preserving things we value.
We can also parallel this concept in the way we handle our lives. Let us take as an example the life of a businessman. Being exposed in the business world for a number of years, business gurus would often say that by studying the market environment and applying the business concepts we learned in school, we have a higher probability of being successful in our chosen field. Right? It depends. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:9 that in our heart we plan our course but actually it is the Lord who determines our steps. The word ‘determine’ is used strongly in this verse. To a certain extent, it means control. Since we are just human beings, no matter how willing we are to do something for our lives, if it is not God’s will, he will not determine it. We cannot be like Bill Gates if that is not His will for us. That is the reason why in everything we do, we have to ask God for guidance. Otherwise, we would end up facing the consequences of swaying away from His will. Our freedom to choose is limited to the laws, orders and commandments that God gave to us. In addition to that, our freedom to choose is limited to the way God wants us to lead our earthly life. Each of us has its own purpose. We cannot be like the Joneses, the Santoses, the Lees, or the Sharmas. We are uniquely made for a specific purpose. If we get out of that boundary, we would spiritually die, be emotionally unsatisfied and physically drained. We would be likened to a fish that came out of its aquarium. We would gasp for our breath. We would pant for life. Knowing God's will is the only way to please and honor Him.
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