What can a struggling procrastinator learn from a malnourished baby?
She was very tiny for three months old. Little Annie’s entire body would lie on a diaper.
Our missionary friends Bill and Mary welcomed baby Annie into their home in hopes of bringing her to good health. Annie didn’t cry; she didn’t eat. She was so malnourished she didn’t even sense hunger.
Over and over Mary would dip her finger in milk and gently touch it to Annie’s palate. After some time, Annie began to show signs of hunger and a desire to eat. What a celebration when she accepted a bottle!
This illustrates our own lack of desire for what is healthy. Maybe we’ve been separated from scripture or Christian fellowship so many months we don’t yearn for them. Maybe we’ve become so accustomed to tardiness or clutter we don’t have any interest in promptness or neatness.
Just as Mary touched Annie’s palate with what was good for her and developed a taste for that good in little Annie, we can grow interested in a better habit. When I see someone do what needs doing when it needs doing and then benefit from that behavior, I want to act like that too. The positive example whets my appetite for a better way. Slothfulness doesn’t satisfy. I get hungry for diligence.
I observed my former roommate gathering her materials for the next day and setting them by the door every night. She calmly walked out in the mornings with no frantic run around. Her example was like milk Mary touched to Annie’s palate. It made me hungry to gather my materials the night before so I could calmly leave in the morning. The more I do that, the more I like doing it. O, taste and see that the Lord is good!
This week can you think of any people in your life who set an appetite-whetting example by doing things in a timely manner? What do you notice about their lives that you would like to be true of yours?
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