11/6/08
Today as Dave and I drove to C’ville, I watched as leaves came toward the car like tiny bombs driven by the wind. They would thunk into the car from time to time and though I’ve never been under a bombing attack Jake and I were in Dominica when a hurricane hurled coconuts at us and on waking (actually I don’t know how much we slept that night) and walking outside it looked like a war had taken place with banana fields flattened and coconut trees downed. So today reminded me of natures bombs, only admittedly the leaves were causing no damage. Sometimes however it does seem as if this world throws bombs of change at us and the crashing of leaves do portend change of season though nothing else may seem to have lined up with that change, yet. Arriving at our destination on Barracks Road (see even barracks sound like a military bunker to take cover from leaf bombs) we stepped over to one of our usual tables beside Panera’s and settled in for a lunch date. As I sat waiting for Dave to return with our meal I realized that the sun was actually quite hot; again a reminder of seasonal overlap, I realized if we sat there for long I could actually start perspiring. Then I began to notice the people. You had some in shorts, some in light jackets (I had actually taken my sweater off) in other words people were divided on how to treat the weather. It is the first week of November and it should be…hmmm just what should it be weather wise? Seems we are divided on that issue according to our modes of dress. During seasons of change in our lives we can be ridged and adhere to what is supposed to be (or what we’ve been told to expect a certain time to be) which can leave us perspiringly over dressed and uncomfortable. Or we can wake every morning and expect that we will be led in the right way so as to be prepared for what the day may bring. We are called to acknowledge Him in all our ways for Him to direct our paths (Prov. 3:6). Looking into the meanings of key words in this Scripture I found that basically it means on all your roads, know Him (word for acknowledge is yada, to know) and He will straighten or cause you to prosper on the well traveled road. Why does it seem prudent to get up and check out the Weather Channel in order to know how to dress for the day’s activities but we can often neglect to check with Him who knows not only the weather but all that the day will bring in order to walk with confidence in the day we are faced with? The Psalmist cried out in 119:133-135 for Abba to order or steady his steps so that evil would not rule over him, he asked to be delivered from the grip of evil people and lastly for Abba to smile (face shine) on him. Ordered, directed steps can save us from a lot of hassle and uncomfortable situations, things that should and could have easily been avoided if we would check in with the Creator of the times and seasons. On the flip side when we know that He is ordering our steps and trouble comes our way (note Paul and Silas in jail after being directed to go to go to Macedonia by a vision Acts 16:9) we can decide to sing instead of question our choice of destination for that season, resting in the fact that our steps were ordered.
k
