One of Those Days

Just 48 hours ago I was having one of "those days" if you know what I mean.

Seemed like nothing was going right and I felt so far from God. The weird thing was that it was a day when I needed God to be close and it seemed like I was begging for His nearness.

When I get frustrated I do one of two things. I will just work harder and not think about anything or else I will go work in my yard.

This day the grass needed to be cut so out to the mower I went. I actually like cutting the yard, there is a instant feeling of getting "something" done.

On the tractor I was having myself a good old pity party and whining inside about how little God cares about me. In the middle of this inner discussion, I looked up to see that my Crate Myrtle trees in the back yard had bloomed.

This may not sound like a big deal, but you have to understand I planted these three trees at least 7 years ago and this was the first time they had ever bloomed.

It was like God was saying, "I am still here, look at how I care for you. Look at how beautiful I am. Look at what I have for you. Look at how I speak to you and give you a beautiful present when you least expect it-or deserve it."

God spoke when I least deserved it-as a whined-and in a way that reaches my soul through His creation.

I just needed a little touch when I have "one of those days."

I give You thanks, God.

Rod of Trust

Psalm 23:4 “Fear not, for I am with you; Your rod and staff, they comfort me.”

Have I mentioned my fear of falling? Of Heights?

On our recent trip out west, our family took a day hike to beautiful Sawtooth Lake just outside Stanley, Idaho.

I did mention my fear, right?

On the way up the mountain, my dad reminded each of us to look for a hiking stick that would help us along the way.

I found this beautiful five foot branch that was light but strong and very straight. It had almost a natural handle at the four foot mark that my hand fit into perfectly. I even managed to whittle off a few protruding pieces to make it smooth.

At mile three my dad pulled me aside and told me to bring up the rear in case anyone had trouble on the upcoming ledge drop offs and switchbacks.

My heart switched into an new level of anxiety.

My knees get wobbly just thinking about steep drop offs at certain heights.

My mind recalled that I had been through worse before, plus I had this rod in my hand to steady me through the climb ahead.

For the next 20 or so minutes that rod would find a firm spot on the trail to steady me. That rod and I developed a little trust relationship during these minutes that lasted throughout the hike.

As we approached the end of the journey later in the day, I thought about this piece of wood in which I had placed my trust. It may sound a little silly, but the rod helped give me confidence to finish the course. Perhaps I may have thought differently if the stick would have broken and I had tumbled off the edge!

I think about several things I sort of implicitly trust on a regular basis that affect my life: like when an airplane takes off and I trust my life to a pilot who may be having a bad day. Like when I take a sharp turn in my car and trust that my axle or tires do not break. That a driver in an oncoming car on a two lane highway does not fall asleep and cross the line in to my lane. And so on…

It makes me realize I can live life with a multitude of fears and miss one the most beautiful places on earth at Sawtooth Lake. Not get in my car. Not get on the plane. Not drive on the windy roads to get to Idaho.

Life requires trust.

There is a kind of trust we have in others and things like a stick that require some wisdom.

Then there is a trust, an unconditional trust, that I must have in God. As David says in Psalm 23, that God is with me and that His rod and staff will comfort me.

I put my trust in Him.

He cares for me.

Life happens.

And sometimes it starts with picking up a stick.