I'm in cheese land today aka Wisconsin. Actually it's one of my favorite states and not because I really like those processed cheese slices, cheese whiz, mozzarella sticks, or Velveeta on macaroni either. It's for the green. Not green as in old cheese, money, or envy. Green as in when you fly into Wisconsin the ground looks like a quilt of deep green. Speaking of cheese though... I remember when I was in Oregon some time ago and saw a sign on the side of the Tillamook cheese factory that read, "Come watch our cheese age". Sounded about as exciting as a game of twister in a nursing home. Nevertheless I learned that Tillamook cheese has to age for 60 days to get the definitive cheddar taste that everyone knows so well. I wondered if you can speed up the process a little and found that, while you can add artificial flavoring to deceive the general populous, true cheddar only comes with time. The key though is not only in the ingredients but also in the environment. If cheese is aged in a proper environment it will only improve with time. If, however, it's left to the elements, it molds and rots.
We're all aging. What we are becoming depends not only on that which is within us, but the environment we are in. I wonder what I am becoming? I feel a bit moldy sometimes. Occasionally sharp cheddar. Sometimes processed American. Either way, I can control my ingredients. I can be set apart from things that would defile me and I can ask God to fill me with His Spirit. I can also control my environment. I can choose to go where and be around whom I choose and while I hope to affect my environment wherever I am, I have found that it also has an effect on me too. I'll leave with two questions to ponder. Has your environment had an effect on who you have become? If so, how? And finally, do you like how you're aging? If not, it may be time to change up some ingredients and/or change the environment.