From my childhood days to the present, I’ve been captivated by the vibrant colors of a sunrise as well as the darkening of the horizon as day yields to sunset.
This past Friday I settled into my blind to enjoy the sights and sounds of Mother Nature, and she rewarded me with the shuffling feet of a covey of quail on fallen leaves, the cawing of crows in a nearby corn field, and to an unsuspecting bobcat who trotted past me, oblivious to my presence.
My contemplative moment was interrupted when my chair suddenly ripped, and I fell to the ground. When I landed on my rump with a bone-rattling thump, I was certain that seismic monitors had sent an earthquake alert to the USGS.
Though I’m on the hefty side, the problem was not my weight, and it was not moths who had the munchies—it was a mouse. A mouse! My solitude had been gnawed away through the turpitude of a ravenous rodent that had devoured the underside of my chair like it was a Thanksgiving feast.
As I was lying on the ground, I thought of the wise words of Jesus: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in nor steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:19-21).”
Even though my treasure was fairly new, comfortable, strong and sturdy, it was no match for the teeth of a tiny mouse with the appetite of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
What about your treasures? Are they fragile, frail, and feeble, or are they decent, distinctive, and dynamic? “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Life is an adventure. Some people seem to stumble their way through it, while others have the ability and agility to bob and weave their way through its obstacles. Some people have the knack to fall face-first into every mud hole that dots their path in life, while others can transform the sourest moments of life into a sweet and exhilarating experience.
A person’s path in life will be shaped by the trails he walks and the trials he endures. I’ve walked many trails that have been scenic adventures, and I’ve encountered several trials that were dismal and disappointing.
Introvert or extrovert, I’m not sure which category best describes you. Even though I am an extrovert, there are moments when I take pause as an introvert. If I walk into a room full of people I don’t know I may be less likely to speak, and I may wonder: Do any of these people care about what I have to say?
The world in which we live seems to be more take than give. The focus is more on what I can take from you than on what I can contribute; in a conversation, it’s more talk than listen; and in the marketplace, it’s more sabotage than service.
constantly in my prayers night and day (1:3).
Christmas is now past, and the sights and scents of the season have been crowded into the pages of history by the hopeful sounds of labor pains announcing the imminent birth of a new year. Among these sounds are the voices of the optimistic and determined who announce their resolutions for the new year.
When you find yourself a bit frazzled and frayed by the various stressors you encounter each week, where do you go to find solace? Some people find a sanctuary in solitude and silence.
insightbyseymour 