tuning out the noise

 

well my dear ones,

Recently, I was talking with a friend

who wants to add a stereo to his motorcycle,

and he wanted to know if I might ever do likewise.

I said "no," because riding is my way

of "tuning out the noise."

Our lives get filled with so many distractions,

so many things that clamor for our attention,

that I really enjoy the quiet time of riding

with nothing more to listen to than the wind.

The entrepreneur Malcolm Forbes,

after taking a spin on his chauffeur's Harley

and then deciding to buy his own,

used to keep a small recorder on him

whenever he was out riding

so he could stop and record ideas,

since his best one, he claimed,

came to him while riding.

Personally, I don’t find myself

coming up with any great business ideas *lol*

however, when I ride,

with the noise tuned out,

I find myself more able

to "hear" the promptings of God,

to see the things God would wish me to do.

I think God has plans and purposes for each of us,

but if we don’t tune out the noise,

we may miss our chance,

even miss our calling.

One guy who didn’t miss his calling

was Norman Bourlag,

the man credited with saving more lives

than any other human being.

His genetically-altered drought-resistant seeds

are credited with saving the lives of

several hundred million,

and perhaps as many as a billion, people.

(it was back in the 60's;

 google the Green Revolution)

In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech,

he closed with a quote from the prophet Isaiah,

". . . And the desert shall rejoice,

 and blossom as the rose. . .

 And the parched ground shall become a pool,

 and the thirsty land springs of water."

(Isaiah 35:1,7.)

A man of humility

(which is one reason he is not more well known),

he felt like he was partnering with God

to save the lives of many in the poorer nations.

Now, you may be thinking,

"yeah, dave, that's great for him;

 dude save a billion people, that's huge!

 But what about the rest of us?

 What about when we try and tune in

 and tune out the noise,

 and try and make ourselves available to God,

 but we don’t get asked to do the big things.

 Sometimes the things we get asked to do...

 seem pretty small.  What about that?"

An excellent question

(one I have asked myself, many times),

and one which I will try and answer next time. =)

Have a great week!

grace, peace, and love to you,

dave

"I have come that they may have life,

and that they may have it more abundantly."

                              --- Jesus