Christian Devotions: Cartoon Capers - Proverbs 28:19

Proverbs 28:19           He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

Years ago, I used to watch a show called “My World and Welcome to It,” starring William Windom, one of my favorite American actors. Windom played a cartoonist called John Monroe and the storylines of each show were crafted around short stories written by American humorist and cartoonist James Thurber. In fact, it was James Thurber’s cartoons that peaked my interest in drawing.

In the show, John Monroe often resorted to fantasy and created cartoons in his head to deal with the issues and problems that he was facing. It was a fascinating way to bring solutions to his family’s difficulties and everything was usually neatly resolved by the end of the 30-minute show. It was pure escapism and moralistic entertainment, but it was only comedic drama and could not be counted upon as a real way of dealing with personal problems.

The gift of imagination that God has given us can be a blessing or a curse. We can fantasize about being successful, rich, and famous; we can even draw on paper or make cartoons in our heads about experiencing health, wealth, and power, but unless we do something about achieving those goals, they are just mere fantasies and unfulfilled dreams that disappear into thin air.

This week, we are all given a new opportunity to do something better with our lives and to make something beautiful for God. The potential is there and the dreams are in our hearts, but do we have the resolve to follow through and fulfill them? As Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers once said: “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”

So the challenge for us today is this: will we work for our dreams or just fantasize? The free-will choice belongs to us alone.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You fully know what our life’s potential actually is. There are things that You would have us accomplish this week for Your Kingdom. Help us to focus upon what we need to do to fulfill our dreams and to complete the tasks of faith that You constantly set before us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org. Please feel free to share this devotion with your own family and friends.

Today’s drawing is one of John’s latest depictions of the Space Shuttle, which launches for the last time this week. The drawing is called “Reach for the Stars,” and is John’s artistic homage to the NASA program. 8x10 inch signed prints are available. Contact John by email if you are interested. You can view a larger version of the drawing at the following link: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5235/5883222966_d5585b0e03_b.jpg