Editor's Note: Number 1, I'm not an Editor. I just thought it would be fun to write that.
Number 2, I write a weekly local column called Caffeinated Journey. I've shared some of these thoughts before here on the blog, but for what it's worth, here is today's column.
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One December evening the cry of ‘Fire!’ echoed through Thomas Edison’s plant. Spontaneous combustion had broken out in the film room and within moments all the packing compounds, film and other flammable goods had gone up with a whoosh. When the family couldn’t find Edison, they became concerned. Was he safe? With all his assets going up in smoke, would his spirit be broken? He was 67, no age to begin anew.
Then they saw him in the plant yard, running toward the family.
‘Where’s Mom?’ he shouted. ‘Go get her! Tell her to get her friends!
They’ll never see a fire like this again!’
At 5:30 the next morning, when the fire was barely under control, Thomas Edison called his employees together and announced: ‘We’re rebuilding!’ One man was told to lease all the machine shops in the area. Another, to obtain a wrecking crane from the Erie Railroad Company. Then, almost as an afterthought he added, ‘Oh, by the way. Anybody know where we can get some money?”
Later on he explained, ‘You can always make capital out of disaster. We’ve just cleared out a bunch of old rubbish! We’ll build bigger and better on these ruins.’
Whatever happened last year is now in the past. If you had a great 2011, great! But if you had a rough 2011, it’s over and done. And if there’s anything we can learn from Edison in this New Year, it is that you do not have time to maintain past regrets.
This year, start fresh. Dream big. Stand back up and stretch your faith further. That’s the beauty of following Christ: your vision is never too big for God. He forgives, He authors second acts, and He releases you from your past (see Romans 8:1).
Now be careful; don’t waste this fresh page. Don’t be obligated to ordinary. No one will ever follow you down the street if you’re carrying a banner that says, “Onward toward mediocrity.”
Instead, take risks. Paint a big picture of what could be and should be.
And then do it.
Every time the Wright Brothers would attempt to fly their plane, they would bring enough extra materials for multiple crashes. Which means that every time they went out, they knew they would fail. They would crash and rebuild. And crash and rebuild. And that's why they took off.
If you dream big and work hard, you can do anything in this world.
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Jonathan Herron is the pastor of a new church start-up holding its first Informational Meeting this coming Sunday, January 8th, 5:30pm at The Lighthouse on M-81 in Caro.
More information is online at LifeChurchMichigan.com.
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