Blackberries and Time

How fast the summer is passing! The wild blackberries up and down our lane and the surrounding woods are now coming forth almost faster than my wife and daughters can pick them. No complaint here, though. I’m enjoying blackberry cobbler and homemade blackberry ice-cream almost daily – and I have an expanded waistline to prove it! The days are passing quickly and the cool Virginia autumn will be upon us before we know it. (I’ll be switching from blackberry cobbler to apple pie.) With each passing day, I realize how precious the time which God allows us here truly is. We should use it wisely, making our calling and election sure, and become busy in the Kingdom of God; whether that’s in business, ministry, or both. By God’s grace, I’m blessed to have a business with which to support my family and give to the work of God. I’m also blessed to be able to use my writing ability in glorifying God, something I truly cherish. Writing is hard work: time consuming, mentally taxing, and often difficult – but I love it. Those of you who share my enthusiasm for the written word should pursue it with a passion. In the words of Southern historian Shelby Foote, it is “an endeavor worth a grown man’s time.”