An earthquake seems to be a sudden event, but, in reality the forces that bring about an earthquake have been building slowly for months, years, decades, even centuries. What seems to us a sudden event is the culmination of a long process.
The same is true spiritually. There are times when we seem to make sudden progress in our spiritual life. There are times when someone seems, quite suddenly, to fall away from the Lord. But in both cases there was an unseen preparation for that moment. A long period of prayer and consistent Bible study is capped with a seemingly sudden enlightenment. Or a long period of neglect ends in a catastrophe that seems sudden, but which is, in reality, the natural result of our failure to feed the spiritual life.
A crisis may bring the strength or weakness of the soul to light; but the strength or weakness is the result of our daily walk with the Lord. When a crisis forces a decision upon us, we appear to make a decision in that moment. But, in reality, our preparation or failure to prepare will have already made the decision. The crisis reveals our character, it does not create our character. Our spiritual character is formed by our daily practice, not by those rare moments of crisis.
What will your daily practice be in 2012? The crisis that will prove the nature of your character may not come this year, but the moments that will produce your character will come. They will come every week, every day, every hour. How will you use this year?
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