What I have died to

Earlier this month I was sitting in church, listening to the scriptures that were being read.  As I sat there listening to the readings, and then the gospel, one line in particular stood out to me.  "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot," Ecclasiastes 3: 1,2.  As these words came to me I began to give my own meaning to them.  I thought about how we all are born at the beginning of life and eventually, it is our time.  Then, my pastor began to give his sermon and totally changed my thought process.  He refered to these words in a different way.  One in that there are several times in life where a person has to die in some things in order to be born again.  How we will not progress and continue to grow if we do not allow certain experiences, positions and relationships to die.  This made me look back and think about all the things I have let die, ad those that are still to come.

While thinking about what I have died to, I had to rewind back in my life to when I was 12 years old.  At this time, I had been competing in ranch rodeos for about a year or two and had been sharing a horse with my sister or mom the entire time.  I then got the amazing opportunity to have a horse of my own.  One that only I would be riding.  I ended getting a HUGE sorrel gelding that was named G Man.  I instantly fell in love with my new horse, and  Every moment I could I would spend with my horse, whether it was riding, feeding or anything else.  I ended up getting to spend only a summer with G.  When my mom told me we had someone who wanted to buy him, I was devistated.  How could someone else want to buy MY horse.  My mom sat me down and talked through why this was happening.  Looking back, the conversation I had with my mom was not all that different from the sermon I heard a couple weeks ago.  She told me that if I wanted to continue to become a better rider, I would have to let G go.  In reality, she was telling me that I would have to let my relationship and riding of G Man die in order to continue to grow.

I thought long about that time in my life and how what my mom said had come true.  It made me think about what I am going to die to coming up in my life.  Instantly, I thought about my life serving the Minnesota FFA Association.  I got very sad because I know I have had some amazing experiences a
s a state officer.  I have gotten to be impacted by members at state conferences, interact with industry partners and discuss where we are headed as an organizatoin and industry with other passionate agriculturalists.  Looking back, I would not trade the experiences I have had for anything, however, I know that I will have to let my position as State FFA Sentinel die.  I will have to allow this point in my life to end in order to progress.  In order to progress into society so that I will be able to make a difference in agriculture and in others lives in a different capacity.  

Throughout our lives we will have to die to certain experiences and relationships if we want to progress.  If we want to push forward and continue to reach farther than we have before.  I know how much it hurts, but I also know that if we allow ourselves to move on from certain experiences, the outcome will be great.  Undoubtedly there will be changes in our lives, but resulting from those changes, there will be amazing experiences waiting for us.  Good Luck and Happy Trails.


Stationed by the door,