Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
“The Lord has made everything for His own purposes.” Proverbs 16: 4 (NLT)
If the story is true as it has been passed down through history, the twentieth President of the United States of America would have been extremely busy on a day like today.
A day where children of all ages all across this great nation continue their return to classrooms to begin yet another year of formal education—private, public or home-school—hopefully learning and being encouraged to tap into all their potential while equipping them with the academic tools, accurate historical perspectives, and spiritual groundings they will need to live the lives of success, significance and purpose as it was intended from the beginning when God first had them in His mind.
As legend has it, President James Garfield had what many viewed as a most unusual habit. Whenever President Garfield was approached by a little child while out walking, he would bow to the child with great respect and dignity as they passed by each other. In that gesture, the President, who served for only eight months before falling to an assassin’s bullet, was almost treating the child similar to how he might treat a head of state or a foreign dignitary.
When asked why he felt it necessary to behave in such a fashion, he responded:
“Because no one knows who’s buttoned inside that little jacket or dress.”
And it’s true. No one knows the potential wrapped inside the body of a little child. No one knows whether that child will someday be a leader of mankind, a pillar of our community, state, nation or world, or something else.
And it’s by that same logic, that we can say that no one knows the potential wrapped inside of each one of us awakening this morning to a brand new day and all that it will bring our way.
A “great day”, as my Bride described it, with a smile and lilt to her voice, in her greeting to me this morning. She could give no particular reason in response to my inquiry as to why she said that, other than the reliable intuition of her heart that it was yet another day for each of us to explore and embrace, a day full of opportunity, potential, possibility and purpose.
She’s right you know. Every day is that way. Every day is a great day for each of us to venture out into those vast untapped areas of our lives. Areas that perhaps we have never even considered as being within our reach, yet which have always lay within us. Pools of unlimited potential lying just beneath the surface of our awareness waiting to be discovered, yet too often become clouded over by the problems of our day, the anxieties about our future, with personal or family concerns, troubles at the office and on the job, or with financial stress.
I don’t know what the rest of your life looks like. I don’t know what the rest of my life looks like. I don’t know what the rest of the lives will look like of each of our children—in my case, grandchildren—who are beginning a new year of school.
But I do know this—that each of those lives was created for a purpose by a perfect God who makes no mistakes—never has and never will.
And were he still here today, I am certain that President James Garfield would bow to each one of you. In his stead, allow me to do so from here, acknowledging with that gesture all the potential which God has placed within each of you, for a day such as this, and all of your tomorrows.
It’ a great day. Why not live it by viewing and embracing all the opportunity, potential, possibility and purpose which is before you and placed within you by the God who created you.
In His Name—Scott
Copyright 2013. Scott L. Whitaker. All rights reserved.
