Shade Tree Wisdom 3/6/08

Well, according to instructions, I am back to walking, but doing quite a bit of groaning as well. The years do take a toll, and my muscle and legs cry out for some relief, but the doctor tells me this is natural, and it will go away. I pray she is right.

Spring seems to be right around the corner. Though the paper reports snow in Michigan yet. Daughter-in-law says she drove in 6 inches of new snow on the way to work.

Here in Texas the spring flowers will soon make their appearance. The Woodlands seeds a Texas/Oklahoma flower mix along the roadside. It strikes me that the seeder they use to plant them is the same kind my father used probably 60 years ago to plant his oats, wheat rye, barley, and alfalfa. The mix used in the Woodlands includes bluebonnets, scarlet flax, tickseed, lemon mint, purple cone flower, black-eyed Susan, corn poppy, and Texas paint brush. They even offer a map locating areas seeded. Now, all we need is warmer weather, and the Lord will send that directly.

I can write about this, and it does nobody any good unless they see it for themselves, the beauty that God offers with His left hand, as it were, sort of by the way, to make our world a more pleasant place. It sort of reminds me of life. In these Lenten hours we are thinking of Jesus’ final hours. On the way, finally, to the Golgotha, the soldiers spot a fellow who had just arrived, we think, from Africa, and say, “Here, under the cross, carry it” Luke 23,26.

This is a sharp picture of a man taking of the greatest steps he can take in life. He got down from the sidewalk into the street, he joined the parade, instead of watching it. He became part of what was going on. He became a participant. And that ought to be our theme in these days.

A picture of two tourists come to mind. One asks the other whether she saw the cathedral of Saint Chappell in Paris. She marveled at the beauty of it, the magnificent colors and the structure. The other said, “W saw it from the tour bus”. And she did not appreciate the work at all. She couldn’t, one has to be inside to really observe.

So it seems to me, it is with us. We can either watch the parade, or be part of it. Either our faith means what we say it is and we live it, or not. A brief "for instance”. A friend makes purchases for his firm. One agent offered to set prices so there would be “something for you”. He said to this agent, “Please get out.” The man, somewhat taken aback, said, “Why, for God’s sake?” “That’s why. For God’s sake”. And that ended the discussion. He was in the parade. He was a Christian.

I pray all of us can and do live like that, may God bless such living.

GPD 3/6/08