大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Revd Carolyn Skinner, CEO of Third Space Ministries

Good morning

Where would we be without pioneers? Those who are risk takers, explorers, innovators, and visionaries. It takes courage to try something new, to venture out propelled by conviction and a sense of calling.

Pioneering can be lonely and tough going at times, as there is often no blueprint to follow, no previous trail blazer, sometimes you are misunderstood, and you have to accept trial and error.

We can take encouragement from remarkable people like Sir James Dyson who went through 5,126 failed prototypes over 15 years whilst developing his vacuum cleaner. Or Thomas Edison who was mocked for his invention of the lightbulb with it being referred to as a fairy tale. And when the umbrella was first introduced in the early 1750s people hurled rubbish and insults at the first man who used an umbrella in British streets!

The Bible talks about forerunners, or heralds, who went ahead to prepare the way, to scout out the route, heading into the unknown. Whilst we might not all be pioneers in the sense of creating new innovations, each of us has opportunities to prepare the way for others, for the next generation, and sometimes that might mean stepping into the unknown, taking a risk for the sake of a bigger purpose. It is one way to leave a legacy.

Father God, I thank you for those who have paved the way for us, those who have stepped out in faith for the greater good. Help us to see how, in some small way, we can be those who prepare the way for others too. Amen