Why Not?
"You see things; and you
say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?'"
Good Saturday morning
everyone. That quote above was uttered by George Bernard Shaw. This man, born in
This lesson is not about
George, but about us; and 'why not?'. Half
empty, half full---the glass of water--a matter of perspective. Why, why
not?--same comparison. What is on your heart this morning? Are you
looking at things with a critical, cynical and pessimistic viewpoint
today? Or are you seeing things that could happen for betterment of your
life and the lives of those around you? I realize those are rhetorical
questions of sorts, but I want you to ask yourself them, and see if you can
come up with an honest answer and reasons you are either asking 'Why?', or 'Why
not?'.
The lesson comes from
Nehemiah, the very first two chapters. I encourage you to read the first chapter before you continue here. (Click
here to go to those verses--(biblegateway.com) When Nehemiah heard
about the plight of his fellow Israelites and the city of Jerusalem, initially
he seemed to question 'why?', and only saw the top half of the glass being void
of water. He was mournful and wept. Another rhetorical--how about
you? Are you mourning and weeping over things right now that seem
devastating in your life? Maybe you are experiencing great concern over
family illnesses or deaths. Perhaps you are wringing your hands because
of your financial situation, or worries about losing your job. You might
be having quarrels with your spouse, or children, or parents or
'friends'. If so, the first Biblical step you should take,
is the same which Jeremiah took--pray. In the Bible, the prayer was not
immediately answered, but if you stop now and return to the internet (or your
Bible) to read the second chapter, you will see that his prayer did finally
get a response.
The response from God was an
opportunity. Jeremiah got the occasion to converse one-on-one with his
master, the king--a rare event I am sure for a man of such lowly stature---a
servant cup-bearer. He took the opening and told the king his vision; of
how he wanted to save his people and the city of
I hope when you read this and
the first two chapters of Nehemiah, that you are encouraged. That
you can see 'the light at the end of the tunnel', and that your perspective of
the water vessel is one of half full, rather than half empty. Today, in
all of your situations, I encourage you to seek answers from God, not from
'Why?', but from 'Why not'?
"I'm not a teacher: only
a fellow-traveler of whom you asked the way. I
pointed ahead--ahead of myself as well as you." - George Bernard Shaw
Mac