The blank slate. Sometimes the most intimidating sight we see. To be confronted with a canvas, or paper, or any open space, and charged with the task of putting something there is at the same time a thrilling proposition and a potentially paralyzing disaster waiting to happen.
This morning, as I sat down to write this column, I realized that, unlike most weeks, there wasn't a message deep within me that I could not wait to share with you. Often, the seeds for the following week's column hit me late in the previous week and I spend Monday and Tuesday fleshing it out for Wednesday morning. However, today I was confronted with the blank screen, knowing that there was something for me to share with you even though I did not see it yet. So, I just started to type, eager to see what came out of my fingertips as they danced across the keyboard. Toward the end of the second sentence, it hit me.
We are hit with blank slates in our lives more often than we ever will realize. Each moment of our lives is an encounter with the opportunity to make something out of nothing. We, and we alone, dictate how we respond to any given situation. We, and we alone, determine how the actions of others will affect us. We, and we alone, are responsible for how much we allow God to shape our responses to life. The question we face is: Are we going to allow God to guide our hands and our hearts as we fill the blank slates of life, or are we going to allow others to paint our blank slates for us?
See you Sunday!
Lamar
This morning, as I sat down to write this column, I realized that, unlike most weeks, there wasn't a message deep within me that I could not wait to share with you. Often, the seeds for the following week's column hit me late in the previous week and I spend Monday and Tuesday fleshing it out for Wednesday morning. However, today I was confronted with the blank screen, knowing that there was something for me to share with you even though I did not see it yet. So, I just started to type, eager to see what came out of my fingertips as they danced across the keyboard. Toward the end of the second sentence, it hit me.
We are hit with blank slates in our lives more often than we ever will realize. Each moment of our lives is an encounter with the opportunity to make something out of nothing. We, and we alone, dictate how we respond to any given situation. We, and we alone, determine how the actions of others will affect us. We, and we alone, are responsible for how much we allow God to shape our responses to life. The question we face is: Are we going to allow God to guide our hands and our hearts as we fill the blank slates of life, or are we going to allow others to paint our blank slates for us?
See you Sunday!
Lamar
