In the beginning of the twentieth century one in every four trees on the Appalachian Mountains was an American Chestnut tree. Historical records in Leominster, Massachusetts record seeing the mountain range in Leominster being white in the springtime when the chestnut trees were in bloom. Today there are only young chestnut trees which grow to about five feet and then they die from the blight that wiped out literally billions of trees in the first half of the twentieth century. There is one mature left in New Hampshire and small groves in Michigan, Wisconsin and California.
This afternoon during a walk in the forest I stopped by one of the five footers, soon to die, and rued its coming death. It will never reach its potential. It is like us. Man was created with endless potential and then the blight came. Now we get only so smart and then we die. In this life we never will reach what we could be. God needs to use the old army recruiting slogan “Be all that you can be” as an appeal to accept the gift of Jesus’ grace. It is only by living forever that we will be all that we can be. But wait, if we live forever and continue to develop forever then we will never be all that we can be, because tomorrow will bring new opportunities and new experiences.
Is there something you wish you could do? Have you ever longed to play the piano, organ or some other instrument and never had the time to learn? What about golf? Sure you will slice and hook in heaven. It isn’t a sin.
Accept the gift. Be all you can be.
Written by Roger Bothwell ono August 10, 2015
PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org