Golden Ticket

I remember some years ago when the original film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” came out. There was a song in the film entitled “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket” that was sung by the actor who played the grandpa Joe character. Charlie Bucket was a poor kid whose family lived together in a run down old house. One day he found a dollar bill along the street and went in to a candy store to buy a chocolate bar. When a golden ticket appeared inside the wrapper, Charlie was so thrilled that he ran home to tell his family and his grandpa Joe  broke into song because this meant that Charlie was to be one of only a select few children to visit the famed Wonka candy factory. I wonder about this scene and how it is like faith. We place so much value on things that we believe will make our lives better or happier, yet faith is about more than just a chance encounter with luck, it is a life long journey.

Last night I went outside and gazed at a sky full of stars and realized I had to do something that would change my life. Instead of always settling for whatever job came along to just get by in order to pay bills, have a home and raise children; I had to make a bold move. I knew that by standing still and doing nothing or putting my faith in something or someone else’s hands that all I could expect was more of the same old thing I have gotten my whole life, which is struggle and disappointment. In effect, I have to be my own golden ticket! God gives us all the potential we need if we just invest in a little faith that he can bring to us whatever it is that we ask for. I want to be more than the sum of my parts scratching out a living in some low wage job feeling like I will never get ahead. I have too much invested in my marriage and kid’s lives to settle for less when God offers so much more.

All of us can be more, do more and strive for a better life if we put ourselves out there and dare to be a person of faith. A golden ticket is more than a dream or hope that comes by chance; it is within our grasp if we believe that “With God all things are possible.” As the sun now rises high towards the afternoon sky, I pray that you will find your golden ticket within and strive to be more than the image you see staring back in the mirror. And so, enjoy the show below…Witt



http://youtu.be/29_uSlEEPSk