How to place your ladder

Author Charles F. Stanley says, "Life is a ladder we climb until we die." (In Touch devotional) He goes on to say, "It would be a shame if we simply sat down and did nothing, but it would be worse if we placed our ladder against the wrong wall and discovered, after a life of climbing we had wasted all the years before."

As I read his paragraph, I was awestruck at the sense of it all. Life truly is a constant climb. We are continually attempting to go somewhere. Numerous people have changed careers in mid-life because they discovered they were climbing in the wrong direction? They were unhappy because the goal for which they were striving was leaning against the wrong wall to fit their personalities and gifts.

What reasons do we have for doing what we're doing? That's the wall I'm talking about. You can paint and build and never reach your target because all the effort you've expended is going in the wrong place. The wall gets painted, but the color goes on the wrong wall. The ladder is aimed wrongly to accomplish what you wish.

There are various reasons we fail to reach the potential for which God made us. We sometimes limit ourselves. Maybe we didn't include what was necessary in our career, marriage, relationships and other goals for which we are striving. You can say, "Oh, I could never accomplish this or that." In that case we are limiting ourselves.

By Ellen Shuck

Perhaps if we would stop and listen to the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit, we would be able to reach our real calling. Our ladder would be leaning against the right wall.

People can change interests, careers and friendships throughout their lives and if your efforts reap good fruit, you're going in the right direction so keep climbing.

Other reasons we don't reach what God intends can be that we're afraid we'll fail, we don't want to tackle or endure what God is asking of us. Maybe the price is too high. We may not want to give up what we treasure, our time or pleasures.

We think we're doing what we should to help on our climb, but do we know where we're going as we progress? Will the end of our journey be as we envisioned? Will it bring us what we want, inner peace, calm and love along the way? If what we've chosen doesn't bring at least a part of these rewards, perhaps we've chosen the wrong direction. Maybe we're following a dream that doesn't fit, that isn't spiritually fulfilling and doesn't bring us a sense we're where we ought to be.

Man doesn't need to follow every whim that comes to him and go chasing after it. Every urge that comes to us is often a passing thing; but if the nudging is consistent and we're drawn to it, one ought to seek out what's behind that yearning. It could be that your gifts lend a hand in accomplishing what you feel inclined to do. You feel you're stifled inside when you can't exercise your natural skills and abilities. We may want to heed the hopeful message of Jeremiah 29:11 when it says, "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord. Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Those words can calm our spirits and provide hope for our lives, too.

Look around and choose carefully what you want to devote your entire life to, then when you're finally at the top of your ladder you can look back to the bottom rung and say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith" 2 Timothy 4:7.

Before it's too late, let's make sure we're leaning against the right wall, before we waste our lives on that which makes no difference.