“When peace like a river attendeth my way; when sorrows like sea-billows roll. Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say: It is well, it is well with my soul.” Horatio Spafford

There’s an ancient adage that declares what we sow is what we will reap. A farmer planting corn seed, for example, expects corn… not parsley or wheat as the crop. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could plant a happy seed for our upcoming week and expect only a happy week to harvest? As surely as the good farmer knows, preparing for only a bumper or happy crop is naive, incomplete, and misguided. So before we start planting ourselves into this week, let’s go to our inner lab (our heart) and add a special dose of what we could call a “falling forward” additive to help energize and strengthen the resolve of our journey.

The idea of “falling forward” is captured beautifully in Romans 8:28. “We know that all things are working together for good for those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose.” Even when things may hurt or seem bleak, if our relationship with God is right and we don’t quit, He’s working within it to assure our ultimate growth, progress, and benefit.

Let’s determine ahead of time, that we will reap some sort of a life improvement. In the events that face us this week, we can be certain of at least three things: 1. We will face challenges, 2. We will be imperfect in our responses and experience some setbacks, and 3. We will also have potential to learn about something, overcome an adversity, help someone, forgive or ask forgiveness, find value, love truth, make a difference, draft a plan, or commit to a new direction.

Let’s see ourselves as the champions we were made to be. There’s something far more wonderful than what our fallen and temporal nature has to offer. Back to our inner lab (heart) for a moment… If we truly believe we are cropped in the image of the One who created us, then we can “see” ourselves as His seed. If our choice is to accept God’s Word, then we plant our lives in His potential, not ours alone. There’s no greater hope for us to know that we’re not ultimately designed to simply exist or to fall, but by God’s grace of light and love to “fall forward” toward His glory forever.

Family and friends — Let’s fight the good fight — Let’s never quit— Never!

Gal 6:7; Romans 15:13; Phil 3:13-14