“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.”      Jeremiah 29:11-13 

 
American writer, Henry David Thoreau, was born in 1817. He wrote in an era when the male majority literally had all the privileges of a new independence. Yet, he is credited with the quote: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”  Thoreau wrote this statement contemplating his own personal understanding of quiet desperation and that of mankind.  

At some point in our lives, we all suffer from secretly living in quiet desperation. For most of us, it occurs when we believe we are not fulfilling, or have no hope of realizing our God-given potential.  For others, it is their full acceptance of mediocrity, both in themselves and others. It is safer to continue in the mundane routine of our daily lives, than to take the risk of the unknown; to break free of the quiet unlit embers that have somehow quelled the fire in our souls.  

In today’s verse, God reminds us that no matter how dismayed we become, His thoughts towards us are of Divine love and complete peace. No matter how discouraging our circumstances, when we call on the name of Jesus, the verse says, He will hear our plea and respond. There is absolutely no reason to go through your life in quiet desperation. At some point, you will have to really believe that God values your life’s potential. After all, He was the one who placed it in you to begin with.  

Take the time to really read your Bible; it was created to inspire deep internal thought about your life in relation to God. Use it as the ultimate tool to guide you in understanding the God-given potential for your life. Pray for guidance to alleviate any inner doubts so that you can internalize the depth of God’s love towards you. Continue to write down your thoughts as you read. It will recalibrate your thinking to foster action, helping you to develop a keen awareness of your life’s purpose, and eliminate that quiet desperation. Believe that God values your life’s potential, because the contrary would be to agree with Thoreau, and, go to the grave with your song still inside you.  L. 

Study Reference: Jeremiah 29:11-13   

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou know not what a day may bring forth.”      Proverbs 27:1

What if you found out you were going to die in a few days, not a year, or a month, but a few days?  How important would time management be to you then?  I have to admit, I am a mediocre time manager. I try to squeeze every second out of a minute by wringing milliseconds the way some of us squeeze water out of a towel.  I am forever chasing the clock, replacing what could be done with what needs to be done. 

A few years ago, I was in a conversation with a young anesthesiologist I had recently met; he was a handsome man with an athletic build who appeared exquisitely healthy.  I was surprised when he told me his age because he looked much younger than his actual age.  When I complemented him on his athletic build, he responded that only a month ago, he was "this much," gesturing the measurement of an inch with his fingers, “from death.”  As it turns out, his physician discovered one of those terminal diseases involving the brain stem whose name I cannot remember.  As we talked about it, I could see the emotion welling in his eyes.  “You know,” I said, “…you have to remember faith is more significant when it comes to healing than most people understand.  And to be honest with you, sometimes physicians know way too much.  It is quite possible that now is the time for you to increase your level of faith. —Faith changes everything!”   “True,” was all he said, and he sped off.   As I thought about our conversation later that evening, I came to the conclusion that we are all terminal; he simply had a clearer understanding of how soon his time may come to an end. 

When we follow the life of Jesus, He knew His mortal life was terminal.  He knew when, where, how, what, and why His life was to be given/ taken, so He spent His days teaching, speaking, healing, and loving those around Him. He impacted their lives so deeply that they would later impact the lives of billions far into the future.  Truthfully, we waste a lot of time on useless issues, not really spending quality time with those we really love, significantly impacting their lives with the kind of love that empowers them to impact others.  Maybe spending time with the people we really care about, and doing the things that truly honor God to fulfill our purpose, is our true time management.  If this is so, everything else becomes filler and can easily be eliminated.   L.  

Study Reference: Proverbs 27:1