No 25
(Initiative)
Christian virtues are often seen in
nature and this one is no exception; the raccoon is the animal that shows the
most initiative. A few synonyms of initiative are
inventiveness, enterprise and creativity; the raccoon has all these and others
also. These character traits find their
origin in another more adventurous trait: curiosity which is not necessarily a
good vertue. The raccoon is very curious
and this can have positive results in that it can find food almost anywhere,
especially in our garbage. However, its
initiative to find food sometimes takes it to dangerous places but it is
not intimidated by foreign surroundings – it can open latches to doors, it can
unscrew jar covers and taste everything in sight. In spite of its sometimes precarious
situations, it is always very alert and has a very well-developed knack of
getting out of danger. The raccoon is
omnivorous like humans, it eats both meat and vegetables, cooked or
uncooked.
It is equipped with special reflective
cells in its eyes that enable it to see in partial darkness. However, this is also detrimental to the
animal when flashlights are pointed in their eyes – the light is reflected and
their position is compromised. These
little creatures can sometimes be very bothersome to farmers and country
dwellers.
In the Bible, there are many persons who
show initiative but the Apostle Peter is definitely the fore runner.
Here are a few examples of Peter’s
initiative:
a)
Walking on water “And Peter
answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of
the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” Matt
b) Building
tabernacles “And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus,
Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one
for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.” Luke
9:33. As the verse indicates Peter
didn’t know what he said but I believe that he realized that he was in the
presence of glorious beings and as in the Old Testament, the glory of God was
in the Tabernacle.
c) Cutting of an ear “Then Simon
Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off
his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” John 18:10. Once more, Peter’s
initiative was at work.
Having initiative is definitely an
essential character trait if we are to be soul winners. Initiative is something that we all possess. For some, it is dormant and waits to be
aroused; for others, like Peter, it is a way of life.
As we saw in study # 58
, soul wining is the raison d’être of all born-again Christians