11/5/08
Today I decided to delay stepping out for a walk due to the promise that the now cloud covered sky would clear and the sun would reign supreme. It wasn’t all that cold and I dithered in my decision, ‘would a delay cause me to miss getting to walk outside due to something coming up, or can I afford to wait?’ I waited and it did get sunnier. Since my main reason for waiting was to take advantage of the sunlight and it’s warmth, I decided to only make a couple of laps where I would have to walk in the shade but do the bulk of my walking back and forth where the sun was accessible. My second lap around I was trying to pay attention to my surroundings keeping my thoughts in check from mulling over what could be mulled over inside when I noticed a pinecone stuck about three feet up in a Holly bush. Still no burning bush but a question, ‘how did the pinecone get stuck so high up in a bush that is yards away from the Pine trees?’ I couldn’t imagine the wind having been that strong and I don’t know of any reason logical or illogical which would have caused someone to put it there so I suppose I must credit the wind. The Scripture says the wind blows where it will without our full knowledge or consent though we see the results of its blowing (my paraphrase of Jn 3:8). Yeshua here is really talking about Ruach (the Spirit). Sometimes it seems as if Ruach’s moving is an inexplicable to me as this pinecone stuck in a Holly bush; I see the result without knowing the how or at times the why. Holly bushes and pinecones aren’t earth shaking to my theology but the results of what Ruach is doing can be. Remember I’m in the shade observing the pinecone mystery and it is to be sure in the shadowy side of life that we often have questions of how and why things are. If we are not careful we can allow questions of such shadowy nature to cause a schism in our relationship either by staying in the shadow and becoming embroiled with a question that it’s pretty obvious that Abba does not intend to answer for us now, or running from the hard parts of life refusing to even acknowledge that Abba has His reasons and trusting that He is good and He is for us so we can trust Him to lead us through the valley overshadowed or into the light of His revelatory knowledge.
After my stopping and pondering in the shade I headed for the sunny area. I admit to having to still my mind again in order to allow myself to observe and not merely walk mindless of the world around me which I seem to so often do. I noticed the flowers, some bees and suddenly my attention was drawn to my feet and I almost stepped on it. There boogieing along was a furry caterpillar. It was jet black on the nose and its bottom, for lack of a better way to describe its back parts since I don’t think it has a tail, and a reddish brown in the middle. Now if I were an ole timer I might know what this would portend in conjunction with winter being mild or not. Since I do not know the folklore surrounding wooly worms; winter will have to remain a mystery to me. Oy Vey, now I have a mystery in full daylight to ponder. Sounds like life, if you take many steps outside your door you won’t have nearly the control that you do inside over what or who you meet up with and how the encounter will affect you. The good news to all the mystery of life is we don’t have to do it alone, we can walk with the One who knows and is in control of all things mysterious and seemingly mundane. Personally I find when I acknowledge Him he directs my path in the dark times when my steps could stumble and in the clear times when I step out in confidence.
What did I learn from mysterious steps today? The delay had no effect on the Holly bush/pinecone shadow mystery but it did on my sunny side encounter for I would not have come upon the caterpillar had I come out at a different time. Though I don’t suppose I impacted its life and the winter mystery will solve itself in a few months time no matter my pre-knowledge, there are other encounters in life which would not occur where I might impact someone or they might impact me if I didn’t wait; so those delays which we sometimes chafe at might just be working for a purpose that only the wind (Ruach) knows the reasons but we will see the results.
k
