Taking Time

Our lives come in many different boxes and we don’t always get to choose our boxes.
Back in the day, my daughter read many of Louisa May Alcott’s books. One scene in one of the books has the birthday boy/man helping to stir his birthday cake. There are raisins in the cake back then and he’s told to make sure the raisins in the cake are stirred in well.
The raisins represent life’s good blessings and it is important that the good blessings are dispersed evenly throughout life not only at the beginning of life, nor only at the end of life.
Our lives come in many different boxes and we don’t always get to choose our boxes. What we do get to choose is what we are going to do with our boxes.
Life can be long and hard, or long or hard. Very seldom is it always easy peasy and comfortable for anyone.
We live in a world that looks with envy on others. It doesn’t matter if those looked on with envy have more money or more time or what they look like they have that people want.
We most often hear that the other person has lucked into a better life. It is never thought that maybe the millionaire for example worked hard to get what they have.
No, somehow that millionaire must have taken advantage of others to get what they have. Everyone knows they must have robbed, stolen, and probably committed murder…
My in-laws started out after WWII farming and eventually, they won the lottery…well, maybe not won the lottery, but…it was as easy as getting up every morning at 4:00 A.M. during the summer heat, winter freezing, autumn, spring both with unpredictable weather. The planting crops, caring for livestock, dealing with neighbors and government year-round come what may in the world of unpredictableness.
It’s often written as Farming today has become so easy Farmer Joe (and his wife) can work jobs in town and farm in their off time… Reality is contrary to current reports farming even today isn’t easy. Many farmers must also work a forty-hour-plus off farm job to pay their bills and then spend eighty hours working their farms.
That’s just a small sample of what many entrepreneurs go through to become successful. Whether it’s farming as a small business or a city small business most people are not taking advantage of others to become successfully wealthy. But the demon envy is strong in today’s world.
In so many cases we have become the lobsters pulling others back into the bucket instead of cheering our fellow humans on to success and climbing out ourselves.
1Peter 1:
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: