Closer Than You Think

We drove through a sanctuary of trees today on a winding road that passed through the very glory of God in the springtime.  No wildlife in sight, I thought, looking through the windshield at 45 miles per hour.  I don’t see anything.

But I know from experience, that these particular woods are actually teeming with all manner of woodland creatures, both great and small.  Just because they are not waving at the side of the asphalt road at exactly the time I pass, does not mean that they do not exist.  I am just unaware.  My problem, not theirs.

I know that, because of my many runs through this wonderland, on dirt paths and gravel roads and ribbons of asphalt.  I run slowly with eyes wide open, as cars with windows rolled-up pass me by.  And the stillness of the deep opens up to me, deer watching me from a thicket on the side of the road, not ten feet away, silent and still, painted subtly as if part of the landscape.  I have also seen a mother deer beyond in a field of tall grass with her newborn unsteady on its feet. 

Just yesterday, about a hundred feet away on the edge of some newly green trees, a shadow moved.  I stopped and watched a yearling black bear move almost imperceptibly on padded feet, as he looked for bugs in the grass and roots.  Few creatures are so magnificent.  I never tire of seeing them in the wild.  Swallows swooped around me in the open areas, and in the shade of a crowd of trees, warblers sang a thousand melodies.  I move among them with only the crunch of gravel beneath my shoes. 

Cars passed in a steady stream, its occupants wondering where the wildlife was.  I have seen them gawk, but not so much at the animals.  They look at me like I am the crazy one to reject the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle with high-definition stereo, leather bucket seats and a bag of snacks.

I wonder if people disclaim the presence of God – or even His very existence – because He does not perform their agenda on their time table as they speed through life.  Where is God?  I don’t see Him.  He must not exist.

And all the while, the evidence surrounds them, layer upon layer, His glory so profound that the mountains sing and all the trees of the field clap their hands.

Be still,

    and know that I am God.

                   Psalm 46.10

The Song That Never Ends

My blog postings have been brief this week, because I have been helping my daughter with her energetic 11-week-old baby.  My arms have grown stronger, my heart fonder, and sleep, well, as a good friend of mine used to pray when her four children were small, “LORD, just make it enough.”  My grandson sleeps well at night (hallelujah), but doesn’t want to miss the sunrise.

The other morning, my daughter greeted me and asked me how I was feeling.  I replied with a short litany of complaints, all of which were true, but all of which made me sound like a curmudgeon – ill-tempered, complaining, and discontent.  As I walked back to the bedroom to get something, I said to myself, “Well, aren’t we Mr. Grumpy this morning.”

 

Words of discontent set the tone for the entire day.

How different my day would be established, how improved my attitude, how transformed my interactions with others, if I focused not on complaints, but on joy.  Not to artificially sugar-coat the sour, but to live radically in the reality of God’s goodness. 

 

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD my God,

         You are very great!  

                         Psalm 104.1

Memorize and repeat, as needed.

My dear grandmother lived with our family when I was growing up.  She struggled with rheumatoid arthritis from her mid-30s, hobbling along in her daily tasks, and would look at any one of us with defiance in her eyes if we even suggested she sit down.  We knew that she was in pain, she didn’t have to tell us that.  She knew that she hurt, but she also knew that if she dwelled on it, she had lost the battle.  She chose to dwell on the things and relationships that gave her strength.  Her well-worn Bible was within an arm’s length of her chair and bed.  She lived to the age of 81, no complaint in sight, fierce in her love for others.

Sure, there will always be difficulties.  EVERYONE struggles with something.  Everyone.  But there is also the unfailing strength of the LORD.  And I am very aware that my actions, mindset, and words dramatically impact everyone around me.  Every day.

It is time to learn the words to a new song, and hum it in the face of whatever comes down my path.  There is strength in the LORD.  That is reality.  My complaining just drowns out the tune.

Sing to Him a new song…

                     Psalm 33.3

(not the same old dirge)

Not Enough Time

When Leonardo da Vinci was dying,
he apologized,
"to God and man
          for leaving so much undone."

Thoughts on a Run

Broken pieces,
mistakes,
failures,
wounds,
and wrongdoings
are the raw materials of God's redeeming,
washed in forgiveness
       and made new by His grace.

Dog-eared Pages (sort of)

Written inside my father-in-law's
John Wayne coffee mug:

"Courage is being scared to death
--but saddling up anyway."

                    -- John Wayne
                        True Grit
                            (1969 movie)