Quiet surprises

Clusters of orange berries flame bright on the rowan tree outside the window. When did their colour become so vibrant? Unnoticed, the fruit matured until now it is joyfully vivid.

Continuing the thought of the quiet maturation of the fruit of the Spirit within each of us. We don’t notice the Lord’s work until one day something highlights the joyful reality that through him, one of the fruits he has grown in us has fed someone else.

Moses was on a mission, and yet curiosity drew him to the burning bush, where he paused to wonder why it wasn’t consumed by the flames. Many mornings I write my ‘to-do’ list and set off on my missions for the day. May I indulge the childlike curiosity which often lies dormant under my grown-up responsibilities, and step aside today to pause and wonder at the mysteries in this wonderful world.

How wonderful it will be if, like Moses, I hear God’s voice.

Through the Desert

Moses sent scouts to check out the promised land. Go through the desert and on into the hill country, he instructed.

It seems that in every promised land, there are deserts. I am in one now, grieving for a very special dog whose bright eyes and wagging tail lit up my every day for the last 13 years. But I sense the instruction to go on through the desert, don’t set up a camp here and nurse the grief. 

We all face deserts of one sort or another. They are arid and lifeless places, monochrome even, and when the going is really tough, the temptation is to stop. To hunker down and live in the desert, live in the loss, live in the pain, live in the shadow. 

No. Press on. Press on through the desert towards the hill country, fertile and full of promise. Yes, there may be giants to face there, too, but as long as we stay close to God, they too can be overcome. 

Our lives become productive, feeding others the fruits which our experiences have grown as we encourage those lagging behind in the desert to press on towards the hill country.

I’m not in the hill country today, but I see it on the horizon. I will press on through, with God’s guidance, reassurance, comfort and help. My loss is so miniscule compared to the horrendous suffering in so many places in the world, but nevertheless, it is my loss and it is personal and painful. 

It has potential to become the compost for fruit to feed others, if I let the Lord use it.

With his help, I will.

Staying Connected

Ten or fifteen years ago, we connected to our friends and family far away by snail mail or the telephone. With the advent of internet, at first we could email as often as we wanted to for free, and now we can Skype. We’ve become accustomed to sharing our lives on a daily basis with those we love who live far away.

We are currently experiencing internet problems. We have intermittent connection; the phone company is sending out a new router, and we are limping along, watching anxiously for the blue light which indicates broadband is on and we can connect again.

I feel bereft, cut off from the daily Skype calls to my mother and the frequent email exchanges with Mhairi and others. People know that I check emails regularly so I fear that if they don’t hear back from me they will feel offended or assume I am in agreement or disagreement or will appear at a certain time for a meeting.

There are more serious repercussions of course, as Don tries to research an order in the brief online moments. 

The Israelites could only connect to God through Moses. He was the divine go-between. After Moses, they had to go to a special place, the Temple, and connect to God through the priests.

Jesus came and abolished that requirement. Because of his sacrifice, we can connect to him from anyplace, at any time. We don’t have to be anyone special. We just have to come with an open heart and a trusting spirit.

There are no routers that can go on the blink. No phone lines that can get full of static. No stress in connecting to God through the Prince of Peace.

Whew.