As I take a look at the two pictures, I see nature's incredible serenity and breathtaking power and beauty. Being a Minnesotan, I am familiar with both bodies of water, as the Land of 10,000 Lakes is also lucky enough to have many rivers gracing our state.
Recently, I have found myself being very similar to the lake you see above. Think about a lake near you. Water is fed into it, but it really has nowhere to go. It just stays where it is, moving in its own little area, but not anywhere drastic. I, Erin Daninger, have been the primary object floating in that lake the past couple of weeks, complete with foam noodle and water wings. I get up, go through the motions of the day, and go to bed. I have been doing what is expected of me in school out of necessity. Not to be forgotten, I have gone to numerous meetings of organizations that I pursue only half-heartedly.
My desire is to be like the river. The river is constantly flowing, twisting, turning, and creating a path wherever the current chooses to go. The Mississippi River creates a way from Minnesota all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. It has carved a path right through the United States with power and nothing standing in the way.
What will get me to that point? ME. Just as nothing on the farm gets done just by thinking about doing it, I have to take action to become like a river. I can make the conscious decision to change me and the current of my day.
How? Rediscovering my passions. Faith, agriculture, and family allow me to find purpose.
Becoming a river comes not from setting a goal for every piece of my life. (WHEW! That is a big statement- I am a very goal-oriented person!) It means following the inborn passions as they turn into purpose. Through developing my God-given abilities, I can work towards the ultimate goal.
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
-Philippians 3:12-14
With my focus on that one goal, I will pursue everything with the passions and purpose I have been blessed with. My goal has been set, and I will whole-heartedly strain on towards it. No more floating along for me!
What makes you float along?
What are your passions? Your purpose?
How will you press on towards your ultimate goal?
Just a few thoughts from a farmer's daughter.
Erin
