His lessons are all around us.
I find out that when I unplug and look, I see and understand so much more of Him.
So lately, instead of putting earbuds in while I walk (even if I’m listening to sermons or worship music or whatever else that is uplifting),
I’ve just been watching.
And what I see makes my own lips praise Him.
On a recent walk, I noticed the trees.
Some of them still have baby leaves.
So tiny, they don’t give any shade yet.
Other trees already have fully developed leaves.
They’re light green and fresh, because they’re new, and they create a nice circle of shade under the tree (see picture!).
These two trees are planted right next to each other.
They’ve had the same amount of sunshine, same amount of rain, same amount of wind, and yet their leaves look different.
That’s because they’re different trees.
I couldn’t tell you what kind of trees they are, but clearly they are different.
From the bark, to the girth of the tree, to the shape of the leaf,
you can see marked differences.
Aren’t people the same way?
We look at each other and compare ourselves to each other.
You seem to have it all together.
You’re doing such great things with your life.
But look at me.
There’s nothing going for me.
I have so far to go.
I’ll never catch up to you.
Or the converse:
Wow, what’s wrong with you?
You should really get it together.
You’re still messing up so often.
You’re so immature.
Both comparisons are incredibly damaging.
We look at each other and forget that we are different people.
We only see the outside, and forget about the inside.
We’re so busy looking around at each other, we don’t look up to the One who created us.
God has made us differently, and He works with us differently.
He knows our individual strengths and weaknesses.
What comfort to know that the Master Gardener is in charge of us.
He will monitor our growth, because He gives us the growth.
And He will prune and tend to each of us as we have need.
Instead of looking at others with despairing or disparaging eyes,
Let’s look up and thank our faithful, patient Father.
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6