There are always so many elements in life. Father, I would pray that You would continue to work in our lives, opening and closing doors as You see fit. Amen.
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Last week sometime, while on my morning routes I came upon a family of Canada geese. There were two adults surrounded by a flock of fluffy goslings. They had crossed the road just before my arrival and were waddling into a field.
The goslings were not very old in that they were small and just little puffs of downy beauty. They will soon become more gangly and less beautiful as they transition (thankfully) into beautiful adult geese.
They are certainly beautiful creatures. Not that long ago their numbers were in decline and, largely in part to human intervention, their numbers have risen…substantially!
Looking at one or two geese, one might find them beautiful but having dozens upon dozens of them grazing through public lands, their appeal fades quickly. The two adults and their flock of fluffy goslings are no longer what we see. And unfortunately, it is rare for us to see the beauty any longer because all we see is the masses and the inconvenience they bring.
Geese, of course, are a part of God’s beautiful creation, along with breathtaking sunsets, majestic mountains, and fields of deep green winter wheat waving in the breeze. And the thing is, God gives us far more than the beauty of creation. There is the diversity of humanity with our many gifts and talents – I could go on and on about the millions of pieces and parts of which we all contribute to the whole – music, art, writing, love, compassion, kindness, etc., etc.
Our problem arises when the appeal of such things fades and all we can see is the inconveniences of it all. What is meant to bring us joy is superimposed by dissatisfaction. It is overrun with impatience.
This past Friday I drove our 1st Graders to the Columbus Zoo, Karen’s class included. Her kids were accompanied by parents and chaperones and the two of us walked the grounds of the zoo. One of my favorite parts was watching children…the oohs and ahhs…their childlike innocence…their carefree attitude…their abundant energy!
Too often we allow those things to become annoying and where once was the purity, the naivety of youth, we stomp it into nothingness with our dissatisfaction and impatience.
All the beauty of creation, all the beauty of humanity, comes from our God’s bountiful supply. Our disdain for it all – and how we destroy it on so many levels –should surely warrant our eradication…but it doesn’t.
Read these verses slowly and thoughtfully,
It is because of the Lord’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed,
Because His [tender] compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 AMP
God loves us beyond measure. May we love Him (heart, soul, mind, and strength) and all He has so abundantly blessed us with! Amen!
May 15th, 2023, Mon, 7:02 pm
