Category Archives: Outdoor world

Late Blooming?

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This spring our flowering trees and shrubs are over a month ahead of schedule, and we’re loving it. As Louisa said today, “There are blooms in every color of the rainbow right now.” Other years have seen them blossom a month late, but whenever they come, we all get a lift.

Several of the yards in our neighborhood have bushes with a unique approach to blossoming. Although most flowering plants bloom on the previous year’s growth, the “flowering quince” reaches back the year before that, producing pretty red flowers on branch growth from 2 years ago. In other words, this summer’s 2012 growth won’t produce flowers until 2014.

This bush seems oddly programmed by the Creator, and sometimes God programs people in unusual ways, too. All of us have experienced periods of strong spiritual growth when we feel close to the Lord and are making great gains in our inner life. But at other times, we experience a dryness with no “blossoming” going on at all. It might be because we’re in a season of pain, or maybe it’s anger or rebellion against God. Blossoming is out of the question, and we might even feel like we’re dying from the roots up.

But during those seasons of non-productivity, God is quietly working on tiny, invisible buds of change, reaching back to prior periods of soul-growth the way the quince reaches back to bloom on a prior year’s growth. When we least expect it, an inner spring will begin, buds of improvement will blossom, and our relationship with the Lord will become as delightful as a neighborhood full of  rainbow-colored flowers, but the “colors” will be things like stability, love, strength, peace, truth, gratitude, joy.

The red blossoms of the flowering quince seem to be in the wrong branch-position every year, just like an early or late blooming spring seems to have missed its proper place on the calendar. Growth spurts in youngsters, too, can seem untimely as kids wait for new height and maturity to come. Our 7 late-blooming children sometimes found it difficult to be the smallest one in the class when their friends had grown a head taller and begun to look like adults, wondering when growth and change would come to them.

But God is in charge of all blooms, the botanical kind, the biological kind, and the spiritual kind. He isn’t in a rush, and he’s never behind in his choice of a blooming schedule. He waits for the optimum moment, and when the time is exactly right, he causes new life to burst forth.

“Let your roots grow down into him… Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:7)

A Dynamite Defense

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My dog Jack and I love walking the quiet lanes of our neighborhood and are familiar with every block. He knows where the good smells are and prefers certain bushes. I like picking out the places where fiddle ferns and daffodils will soon flourish.

But for Jack, his favorite part of any walk is spotting small animals. He asked if we could name the areas where they hang out, since he looks forward to chasing them so much (despite never catching any). So now as we walk, we pass Critter Crossing, Squirrel Meadow, ‘Possum Pass, and Deer Forest.

At nighttime, the narrow roads are quiet, animals tucked into their nests awaiting dawn. But last night at ‘Possum Pass, Jack got a treat. When he stopped ambling and started running, I knew he’d seen something move up ahead, and by the time I caught up, he was playing with a light grey ‘possum the size of a football, nosing it to move and wagging his tail with anticipation.

But ‘possums play possum in response to imminent danger, and a giant dog bounding in your direction definitely qualifies. This one was lying down, stiff and silent, allowing Jack to nudge him without so much as twitching an ear. When Jack realized a chase wasn’t imminent, he lost interest, and the ‘possum had cleverly avoided an attack.

We can’t, however, give the ‘possum credit for making the decision to play dead. Playing possum is an involuntary response to danger, and these critters can’t help but do it. The process involves baring their teeth, going rigid, drooling, and emitting a smell much like rotting road kill. They can even be picked up and carried but won’t so much as quiver. (I have to give Jack credit for trying to be friendly in the face of that many negatives.)

I looked at the ‘possum and thought, “Not too smart, playing dead while the mouth of a potential diner investigated your body. People would never do anything that stupid.”

But then I thought about God’s point of view. The ‘possum was doing exactly as he’d been instructed, but what do we do? The dumbest thing ever: we ignore God’s instruction. And how often do we do it? Every day.

Despite that foolhardiness, our loving God offers to help. Just as he gives every animal a defense mechanism (like the instinct to play possum), he gives people the very best defense mechanism of all: himself. He offers to personally be our Defender in the ongoing battle for our souls. He defends not just from visible enemies but invisible ones, too, those that are more difficult to overcome. He protects, guards, shields, and preserves us in our struggle.

We don’t deserve it, but he does it anyway, hoping we’ll follow his instructions at least as well as the ‘possum does.

“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2)

A Sandy Story

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Recently our beach had been made smooth by wild winds, then had been doused with rain, making it much like a chalkboard ready for writing on. By the time Jack and I arrived, a menagerie had already been there and written their stories on the sand. We “read” that most of the neighborhood critters began their mornings with creek cocktails.

Jack sniffed enthusiastically as we identified the prints of seagulls, raccoons, rabbits, deer, fox, and coyotes at the water’s edge. Even tiny insects had left winding trails in the sand. I wished I’d been camouflaged in the dunes at dawn, able to watch these critters quench their thirst. How did they all get along? But then we saw the true story by way of the deer prints. Walking toward the water, hoof marks were spaced evenly, about 18” apart, but as the prints left the creek, they were 5’ apart! Apparently thirst was quenched in successive drinking shifts, and the animals knew enough not to drink together.

Nearby there was a sandy story different from all the others: the boots of a man. His steps were made by larger feet than any of the animals, detailing a story of dominance and power.

Scripture says human beings were created to be different than animals, not just in footprints,  capabilities and intellect, but in likeness. While animals were all likened to their own species, humans were likened to God. Such incredible elevation made us unique and privileged, part of which was to receive eternal souls.

The Creator gave animals natural instincts to help them. Squirrels know to store up food in the fall, and birds know to migrate south before it snows. Bears know to hibernate until spring, and deer know to run from coyotes.

But when God created people, he decided on reasoning power instead of instinct. Thus we can weigh alternatives and consider consequences. Best of all we can make our own choices. Our decision-making sometimes gets us into trouble, but we still value it highly.

As God watches us making our choices, he always hopes we’ll do it with wisdom, which inevitably leads to him. But sometimes what he sees is animals choosing more wisely than humans, and I’m sure that disappoints him. Critters know enough to run from danger, but people often run right into it.

If Jesus had been walking on our beach this week, my guess is his steps would have made smooth sandal prints. Scripture urges us to follow behind those steps, not necessarily on the sand but as described in his Word. This can be difficult, since we don’t usually know where he’s leading us. But one thing is sure. If we follow his lead, we’ll be much better off than if we tell a sandy story of our own making.

“The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” (Proverbs 20:24)