Very early in the morning, while it was
still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place,
where he prayed. (Mark 1:35 NIV)
Before getting out of bed, plans for
the day jumbled within my mind. My sluggish body refused to move. Finally, I
shuffled to the kitchen for a cup of tea to wake up.
As I reached down to pick up my
newspaper from the driveway, a thin black worm wiggled across the pavers. His
movements fascinated me. His head stretched out to lengthen his body like a
taunt rubber band. Little by little, his body caught up. Slow. Steady. He moved
toward the grass but never did his body stretch beyond what he could endure.
From my patio, I watched and learned
more lessons. The bumblebee followed his daily routine. He zoomed to the orange
flowers and stuck his head into one after the other. He didn’t hurry. He
focused on only one bush and wasn’t distracted by other blooms in my garden.
As I enjoyed the tranquility of my
retreat, chirping drifted across the lake. The sound came closer and a
brilliant cardinal flew into an oak tree. His melodies entertained me for a few
minutes as he rested before flying away.
Near the water’s edge, an orange
butterfly flitted among white blooms near the shoreline. A swaying stem enticed
the butterfly to stop and relax. A few seconds later, he resumed his flight.
Each creature taught me a lesson.
The slithering worm showed me to not stretch myself too thin. The bumblebee
taught me to focus and not be distracted. The cardinal showed me to stop and
listen. The butterfly demonstrated to take a break and then go on. Nonstop
activities, even good ones, eventually wear me out and make me less effective.
After being with people, Jesus took
time to get away and be alone.
After my lessons, I spent a
leisurely day relaxing and enjoying time by myself.
Heavenly Father, thank you for each
creature and the lessons I learned. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment