No appointments. No schedule. No immediate needs to fill.
The weather was beautiful...crisp clean air and a bright blue cloudless sky...the perfect recipe for rolled down windows and a long drive down the windy country roads of nowhere in particular. I turned up the radio and let the soft jazz spill out of my windows onto the street around me. I felt free and joyful...feelings that have been fleeting as of late, and I didn't even try to hold onto them. I let the feelings ebb and flow with the wind in my windows and the tempo of the music.
I found myself driving without a destination in mind, just driving to drive, just enjoying the process...the journey so to speak. I am always drawn to country roads lined with oak trees. It is like I can feel the history coming off of them. They have stories, they have deep roots and strong trunks. They give shade and shelter. They produce seed. They are beautiful and graceful. They are stable and sturdy.
I think I would like to be an oak. I would love to be around for a long time. I would like to offer shade and shelter to the traveler. I would love to grow deep roots and produce seed that would grow other oaks...not like me...but bigger and stronger. But you know what makes the oaks so great, so strong, so anchored...it's not the warm sun, but time and trials.
Storms force their roots deep into the earth. Time allows them to grow tall and wide and cover the earth with their seeds. So I guess if I want to be an oak...I have to be willing to weather the storms of life, let my roots dig deep, and be patient as the hurricane winds of South Louisiana persistently try to knock me down.
"...Whatever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy." James 1:2
Let us be joyful. Let us be filled with the oil of gladness. Let us walk with our heads high, because of who we are in Christ...redeemed, chosen, beloved, cherished, and sought after.
No comments:
Post a Comment