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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: CALENDAR (10/20/16)
William Jennings Bryan was a gifted speaker, and presidential candidate. One of his famous quotes was, “Destiny is not a matter of chance; It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.” When we place our destiny into the small, skinny spaces on a calendar, we are predicting the future in a way, using the days, weeks, and months of our lives.

Just as we can see God in people’s faces and actions, we can also discover what they like by the tools they use every day. The creative covers of their calendars accent distinct personalities whether they depict Homer Simpson trying to be Father Knows Best, a bountiful Hawaiian landscape, or an inspirational photo of a cross; they are showing us a glimpse of what is central in their life.

The way we write our comments can detail a hurried lifestyle or a serene existence. An exclamation point could mean …get to this ASAP, or a gentle cursive writing with a heart drawing of “lunch with Mom,” tells all. We can thank God for a special occasion by drawing an upward arrow of thankfulness, or use a bold statement in lettering over a late bill. We can X out an entire day when it is over or an event is cancelled.

Each square counts as a detailed part of a collage that sums up God’s plan for our daily encounters with life, death, and happiness. Mary’s funeral is on Saturday; a christening on Sunday, or a wedding in June. Each month could be a chapter of God’s miraculous guidance in one’s life, or the many detours we must make to survive in today’s culture of crime and sudden fatalities. Facebook is even taking advantage of this by making books of follower’s posts and photos over the years.

I think we have a choice on how to orchestrate our written summary of days. We can be wise and listen to the Holy Spirit’s still small voice, or avoid His direction and haphazardly jot down meaningless, negative experiences (1 Corinthians 14:33). We can strive toward positive input by making sure important appointments in life are kept. At the end of the week, we can feel good about what we have done for others and ourselves. We look at the week either feeling satisfied or discouraged at the results. The ups and downs of our lives are recorded for us to review.

Our destiny is preordained by God, but we have the choice to accept his role in our lives. We know God is with us when we write our schedules and numerous duties on our personal chart of events. He does what is best for us, and knows what is about to happen. As we look at Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, God controls all that we do, whether we recognize it or not. He first established the seven-day week and the Sabbath day during the first week of creation, and it has held its ground ever since. Time bows to our amazing creator.

We could attempt to manage our own time, but would often fail. God is perfect, and can handle any problem without a glitch. We just need to trust him to oversee our daily struggles and he will organize our busy schedules to fit his. Disorganization will only keep us from serving God in a pleasing way, and we must do our best to discipline ourselves through prayer and keeping a sound mind and body--(Philippians 4:6). It is actually fun to keep an accurate calendar; it brings out our creativity and stimulates our thinking!

Next time you jot down a calendar note, think about it first, and know that this little comment will become part of a life journey on your road to success or failure. Every “jot and tittle” is important as it was to God in Matthew 5:18, and as it is to you in your everyday life. It is always nice to look forward to a special day on your calendar!
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Wendy Godwin
11/02/16
I liked how you used the calendar as an example of how we are, in a way, predicting our future.
A little red ink comment I would make is in your quote in the first paragraph.(...of chance;It is..) A capital letter should only be used after a semicolon when the word is a proper noun or a word that would normally be capitalized. A semicolon joins two complete sentences (independent clauses) and makes them one sentence.
The second paragraph was a little confusing to me and I wonder if it would have been better to go straight to the third where you do a good job supporting your position that we are placing our destiny in the spaces.
great job. Reminded me of how I need to trust God to help me fill my calendar.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
11/04/16
Congratulations on ranking 8th in your level. Happy Dance.