Tag Archives: tree
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
My personal corollary to that proverb is, “The best time to start playing guitar is when you were nine. The second best time is when you are thirty-nine.” When I was a teen I thought about taking up the guitar but didn’t because I thought I was too old (seriously).
I could have lamented that and dwelled on how much better I’d be if I had started then, but since I started eight years ago I’ve had a lot of fun and been able to use it in various service opportunities (mission trips, Kairos prison ministry, church stuff). Starting late was way better than not starting at all.
Am I good? Well, let’s just say I get compared to Jimi Hendrix a lot — as in, “That Neil — he’s no Jimi Hendrix.” So no, I’m not that good, but I’m good enough to play the right chords (fairly) consistently and have some fun with it.
I offer that as encouragement to those who aren’t in the habit of Bible reading. Too many people avoid Bible studies because they feel like they should know it already. But how illogical is that? The idea of a class is to learn more.
Swallow your pride and get started today. Just open it up and use some basic Bible study tips.
Advice columnists have become way too worldly and often give counter-productive guidance. But Ann Landers once gave wise counsel to a woman who thought she was too old to take college classes. The woman said something like, “But it will take me five years to graduate and by then I’ll be fifty.” Ann responded with something like, “How old will you be in five years if you don’t get the degree?”
To state the obvious, in five years you’ll be five years older regardless of whether you study your Bible. But you’ll be far better off if you start reading it regularly.
The best time to start reading the Bible is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.