Leo Lionni, a famous picture-book artist... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, … For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went.
2 Kings 18:5–7

Leo Lionni, a famous picture-book artist, tells the story of a snail that wants to reach new heights. Her dream: to have the largest snail shell in the world. She discovers a mechanism that makes her shell-house grow and suddenly produces pretentious and bizarre structures. She enjoys the admiration of those around her ... until she abruptly comes to the dreadful discovery that the weight of her house no longer allows her to move. A profound parable!

What we strive for – a good image, a big fat bank account, huge success in our careers and much more – sounds really good, but it nails us to the ground. Everyone has to come to the sobering realisation of this at some point. In the really crucial questions of life, success and money can’t help us.

The successful guitarist Eric Clapton experienced this: “I can have all the money and all the cars in the world and still be unhappy. Once you realise that it isn’t about money, fame or success, what do you do then? That’s the big dilemma. I had it all: a beautiful wife, cars, a house, money, friends – everything a man could possibly want; but it didn’t help me stop drinking. I had depression. I was suicidal.”

Hezekiah, the man in our Bible passage, was also successful. He was the king of Judah and very wealthy. But what he was striving for wasn’t earthly wealth and fame. His success and his prosperity had a very different basis. He trusted in God, and he served Him. “The Lord was with him”, the Bible says. In the end, that’s the only thing that matters!

Today’s reading: Genesis 38:1-30 · Psalms 23:1-6