This morning I noticed the shadows on the road where I walk.  Today the temperature is in the 60’s and the wind is blowing steady and strong. Most of the time shadows remain stationary, but because these particular shadows are made by trees, the shadows are moving as the wind blows the trees. The position of the sun or the time of day also changes where the shadows are.

The “winds” of life are constantly changing. Sometimes they bring shadows into our lives, seeming to keep us there for days, weeks, months, or even years. We may feel as though we are walking through “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4 NKJV). But as someone has said, there cannot be a shadow if there is no light.

In the natural world we can easily move from the shadows into the sunlight in just a few steps. In daily life sometimes situations can change just as easily, but not always. We may have to search to find the light we need to get us out of the shadows. Psalm 27:1 (NKJV) says “the Lord is my light” and Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) says “Your word is . . . a light unto my path”. Just as the shadows move with the light of the sun, the “shadow times” of our lives can brighten with the help of God and His Word.

Another thought about the shadows and the temperature is this. Today the shadows were cool and the sun brought a welcome warmth. However, when the temperature is warmer, we seek the coolness that the shade provides. In the same way, our outlook or perspective, our “temperature” at a given time, can affect the way we react and respond to life’s shadows.

Just as wind and light affect the shadows in the natural world, the wind of the Holy Spirit and the light of God’s love can bring us out of the shadows and help us live daily in the light.

FROGS AND FLOWERS

This morning I went for a ride on my bicycle. After this I walked for a little while. As usual there are things on the road where I walk. This time of year (April), there are usually some flower petals and occasionally a complete flower from the poplar trees. They are colorful! The flowers are small compared to the massive size and height of the poplar tree.   

As I walked on, I saw something else on the road—a dead frog! It was positioned as though it was ready to jump, but it wasn’t going anywhere on its own. A red ant came and crawled on the frog and it did not react at all. 

I saw the flower and the frog—both of them were dead. Even though the flower looked pretty, it would soon be dead, since it was detached from the tree. My reaction to them was very different. I delighted in the beauty of the flower but felt disgusted by the dead frog. Both are creations of God. The Bible says that God knows when the sparrow falls, so He knew about this little frog. (Matthew 10:29-31 NIV)

Anyway, we are so prone to react to things and people because of the way they look. (I Sam. 16:7b NLT) We judge a person or an entire race or culture by their looks. But just as God created the flower and the frog, every person is a creation of God, created in His image.

To take this picture, I picked up the flower and took it to where the frog was. I did not want to touch the frog! Again, we sometimes look at people as “untouchables”, but everyone needs the power of human touch, whether a simple pat or a bear hug!

So . . . think about your own reactions to the world around you. Maybe you can learn to see people with the eyes of Jesus; and, who knows, maybe you can give someone a hug today!

JOTTINGS FROM J

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get to the other side!

We’ve all heard this question and answer many times. There are many variations on this question and answer. A google search says about 48 million!

This little creature is obviously not a chicken, but it was trying to cross the road, probably to get to the other side. I did not watch it long enough to see if it made it.

From the day of our conception, we are all on a journey called life. Getting to our final destination can be short or long, but we all will reach the other side at some point. We don’t know “when” or even “where” the end of our journey in this life will come, or “what” the circumstances will be.

“Why” is probably the biggest question asked in life. Sometimes we get the response we want to these queries. Sometimes we don’t like the answer. Sometimes there is just silence.

From my perspective, there is only one answer to any of the WWWWWH questions we ask.

The answer is always JESUS!