"Are you driven by your habits?"

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I discovered a new-born fawn lying in one of our horse pastures, almost stepping on it; not knowing there was a treasure at my feet. It kept trying until it managed to run away.

The next day I got on my tractor to mow that same pasture. The grass—and some weeds—grew faster than the horses could keep it down.

So I’m mowing on my tractor and enjoying a beautiful, sunny day. I approach the same area of the pasture where I discovered the fawn the day before. The thought occurs to me, “I’d better slow down just in case she returned to her birthing spot. No, I’m sure she wouldn’t do that after I scared her away.”

I slowed down anyway, just to make sure. And within seconds, the new fawn hopped up and ran away. She was lying down in the exact same spot.

Are you driven by your habits like this fawn? Returning to the exact same spot, despite its threat? Simply letting your habits drive your life?

Take a look at your habits today, searching for which ones serve you well and which ones don’t. Then ask God to coach you to keep some and discard the rest.

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"Do you keep trying?"

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 Yesterday I told you my story about discovering the treasure of the fawn lying within just a few feet of where I had walked through our horse pasture. I saw the fawn only because it tried to stand.

The first flash of brown I saw was from it trying to stand…and so was the second, only this time it actually stood. I watched as its wobbly, new-born legs worked to hold it up. I wasn’t sure it could make it, but the legs locked in, and the fawn stood. She took a step or two away from me, trying out her new legs to see if they worked.

Then she ran ten yards or so, stopped and turned around to look at me. I couldn’t tell if she was checking out my location, or saying, “See! My legs do work!” And off she ran again, into the woods.

I’m like this fawn sometimes, aren’t you? I learn by falling down, then getting up again. I jump up to face a new challenge, and fall down. Then I try again, make it for a while, then turn to see where I am; all the while asking God for strength to go. Keep trying as you face new challenges and make a life today.

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"Do you find treasure?"

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 I walked the fence line in one of our horse pastures on the farm, checking to see if any trees had fallen across it. I found a tree down, and stopped to survey the damage. I turned and looked back up the pasture, frankly just to admire the view.

All of a sudden, about ten feet away, near where I had just walked, I saw a flash of brown. The grass was pretty tall and thick. The recent rains had grown the grass faster than the horses could eat it. So I couldn’t see into it very well. But there it was again—a flash of brown.  

This time I saw it—a fawn. It looked wet all over as if it had just been born, it’s white spots blinding-white and clean. And just think—I had just a few moments prior walked within three or four feet of where that fawn lay. I could have reached out and touched it.

Today, you’ll have an experience like mine. You’ll walk right by a treasure and not even see it because of the obstructions in your life. Pay careful attention and listen to your life so you’ll discover God’s treasure within a few feet of where you are.

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"Do you bend or break?"

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 Yesterday I told you a story about the oak tree on our farm that looked fine from its outward appearance, but was rotten on the inside. You may have wondered what caused that huge limb to fall…

…well, it was a storm. Our part of the world experienced high winds and rains and floods for several days. The rains made the leaves heavier, softened the rotting wood, and then the gusting winds literally blew that part of the tree right off of the trunk. The storm revealed the inner weakness of the oak tree.

But the storm could have just as easily revealed the inner strength of the oak tree, had it been healthy and solid inside. It would have stood strong against the stormy weather; bent, but not broken.

You and I are like this oak tree. The storms in life reveal true inner strength or weakness. You can count on storms blowing up on you—at home with your spouse or children; at work with your boss or employees; anywhere really. The question is—will you simply bend or tragically break?

Give time to listening to God today so you can stand strong in the storm.

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"How are you on the inside?"

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 I have an oak tree on our farm that’s pretty old, around 135 years old. And to be that old, it looks pretty good. Sure, it’s got a few gnarly places, but it’s leaves are still green and all appears well…

…at least I thought all was well until recently when a huge limb fell off. It crashed through a section of board fencing around a horse pasture. I surveyed the damage, chainsaw in hand, before I started cutting up the fallen piece. Lots of smaller limbs grew from the large limb. And those smaller limbs had lots of green leaves. That section of the oak tree gave the appearance of good health, from all outward signs. But when I looked at the end that broke off from the tree, it was rotten on the inside. Then I looked up 20 feet or so where it broke off from the tree, and it was completely eaten away, from the inside out.

You could be like my oak tree—appear healthy on the outside and be sick on the inside. Give less energy and attention to your appearance today and more to your relationship with God as you make a life, not just a living.

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