IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS

The morning sun was just above the horizon, its rays of light piercing through the trees. For the past several weeks the morning air had been warm and thick with humidity. Today the air was cool and dry, and the neighborhood was quiet (which is typical for a Sunday morning). Sitting on the steps of our deck that leads down to the yard, I watched Ruby, our yellow lab, chase squirrels back up their trees and push sparrows from one bush to another. Every so often she would run up the stairs to me, prying her dew-soaked head under my hand looking to get her neck or an ear scratched, then off she’d go chasing more critters.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, its beams of light finally reach the Earth’s surface, and the unseen dew on the bushes that soaked Ruby’s head was now visible on each blade of grass. There were far too many to count, but they were twinkling like the stars in the midnight sky. Intrigued by the vastness of the droplets, I crept in for a closer look. I kneeled on the grass and looked at each drop of dew on the blades of grass. Ruby joined me and soon both of us were laying in the grass.  Each droplet was unique - some so tiny they were barely visible, and some so heavy they pulled the blade of grass they clung to closer to the ground. Eventually, the mosquitos outnumbered the drops of dew, so Ruby and I retreated into the house.

I’ve never paid much attention to morning dew before, let alone each droplet, other than thinking of it as a nuisance that gets Ruby’s paws wet, but this morning was different…Ruby noticed too.

Luke 12:7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered; so don’t be afraid, you are more valuable to God than a flock of sparrows.

TAKING THE LONG ROAD

Another Timber of Faith cap left the country! In a previous blog I shared that one of the caps was taken on a trip to Mexico (read previous blog), and shortly after that the owner of a different cap let me know they took theirs through Canada! Here’s his story.

The shortest distance from point A to point B is a straight line. That statement is true, however it’s not very practical in real life. For instance, when you’re out for a hike, you may be able to see your destination, but may have to overcome many obstacles to get there. The same may be true for a trip to the grocery store, you might just go to get a few burgers for grilling, but all of the sudden the candy aisle is in your way.

The man in this story started making plans for an ice fishing trip to Lake to the Woods. Lake of the Woods is a very large lake on the border of Minnesota and Canada. Most of the men going on the trip live in the Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN area. A straight line from their home area to their destination on the lake, or as the crow flies, is 150 miles. However, these are men, not crows, which means they had to follow roads. The roads they had to take took them 75 miles out of their way and through Canada.  Even though they went a considerable distance out of their way and through another country, they eventually made it to their destination.  Their first annual ice fishing trip was a success! Many fish were caught and a good time was had by all…well worth taking the long road.

Kris showing off his Timber of Faith cap and a couple of their catch (I think the cap brought them luck)

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you fill me joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

WHERE OUR VALUE COMES FROM

It feels like forever since my last blog post.  To be exact, it’s been 26 days; that’s 19 days longer than I like.

The busy-ness of life was beginning to wear me down and I knew that needed to change. The way I let go of all that life has been piling up on me is to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of creation. This usually happens early in the morning when there’s less people and noise, but that hasn’t been working out, so I went to a nearby park to clear my head.

Arriving at the park in the late afternoon gave me an appreciation for how much other people use the park.  The bench I like to sit in was being used, so I hunkered down at the base of a tree and allowed myself to melt away. After saying a few prayers, I started to focus on the woods around me. A butterfly caught my attention. Initially it was casually fluttering around, working its way from plant to plant, then the wind picked up and started blowing the butterfly back the way it came from. Occasionally the wind would die down and the butterfly continued on its original path. However, as sure as the sun rose and set that day, the wind picked back up, pushing the butterfly back to where it started. I found myself rooting for the butterfly, “keep going…you can make it!”  This went on until eventually the evening wind faded away and the butterfly continued on to its original destination. 

I’m glad I took the time to get outdoors and witness the butterfly in the same struggle I had recently found myself in.  Life was pushing it around, yet it prevailed and moved forward.

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?