Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Creator of All things in the middle of the night and we had a long chat about Life. I don’t want to squander even one single day, and I want to be found Strong and standing tall until I draw my last breath. This season has been unusually dry as God withheld the rain, and most of the trees have paid the price for the drought. Some have leaves that have already changed color, some are shedding fast, and some have dead leaves determined to hold on. In the middle of the living trees in this photo, there is one that died long ago. God used this tree to remind me of how easy it would be for my Life to become bare and lifeless if I don’t keep my eyes on my Creator and my Heart Inclined toward Good ALL the days of my life. How blessed I am that the God who Created me would use the image of a simple barren tree to drive home a message today.

There is a season for all life and allotted time for all things and there’s not much we can do to change the Time that was Ordained by the Hand of God before the earth was formed. We celebrate new life and we mourn the life that ends before we’re ready for it to end. The Bible refers to our life here on earth like a “vapor” – it passes by so quickly…in the Big Scheme of Things, it IS a fleeting moment. Even though the beginning and the end are not necessarily easy to understand OR accept, the bottom line is that we’re either coming into this world or we’re leaving it behind and it’s all the in-betweens that matter the most. It’s how we END this life that determines how we finish the Race and it’s how we impact other people along the way that makes an Eternal difference for them and for us. We don’t have a whole lot of say-so on when we’re born or when we die, but how we live the in-between comes down to a matter of choice. We can live until we die, or we can be like this barren tree…still standing but lifeless.

I’m not sure how it came to be that so many people would refuse to bear fruit or why they seem so content to be lifeless like this old tree. Plenty of people are standing tall but they’re no longer producing fruit and at first glance, you’d think like is over for them. Somehow they continue to stand year after year without offering the world anything at all. They can’t muster up enough Joy to sprout anything Meaningful into this Life…at least not outside of the comfort of their own homes. Little by little they lose a piece of themselves when the wind comes rushing by because they’re too brittle to withstand the pressure. Just like this tree…still standing but Lifeless. There isn’t anything that could force this tree into living again- it’s too late for that. But it’s NEVER too late for us to go from a barren lifeless existence to a Life that’s so beautiful that everybody wants to sit in our Shade. All it takes for us to go from standing and lifeless to Soaring and Priceless is a Good Dose of the Creator of all and a Firm Reminder of who Jesus Christ is, and in no time at all this vapor of a Life becomes the most amazing Dress Rehearsal for what’s just around the corner for the ones that refuse to be lifeless.

I hope every time I pass by a dead tree I’ll be reminded of how easily I could be found standing tall and lifeless too IF I didn’t work every day to draw Closer to the Creator of all…IF I didn’t love Him so much that pleasing Him is my First Priority. My life might be “like a vapor” but I’m not going to Live like it or Love like it and I don’t want to squander a minute of my Dress Rehearsal.

How about you?