SCARS

I had passed this spot a hundred times or more I'm sure.  I was up this morning about 5:30 and was walking in the woods with my little dog, Gracie.  I passed this old tree and just happened to look up at it.  I don't know why because from the average view point it just looked like any other tree in the woods.  As I looked up, I noticed that this tree had a large jagged hole that stretched about 6 or 8 feet right down through the center of the trunk. 

Apparently, at some point over the years this tree had been hit by lightening. Through no fault of it's own a hot searing bolt of lightening tore the very heart out of this tree. It should have died.  But it didn't. 

Somehow the nutrients from a strong root system found their way through the tiny little passages that were not damaged by the lightening and new life begin above and around the damage.  Now a strong 50 or 60 foot tree stands in the middle of the woods.  Oh, sure there is a large gaping space down the middle of the trunk, a scar, if you will, testifying to the fact of a time when things were bad.  But it stands tall and strong among the other trees another testimony "trumping" the bad times with good. 

I imagine that there might be someone, someday who will read this little note and can relate.  Perhaps through no fault of your own, (or it might have been totally your fault), you felt the hot searing lightening bolt of hard-ship, trouble or disaster in your life. 

It may have been a sickness, accident, death of a loved one, divorce, prodigal child, loss of a job or any number of other "lightening strikes" that tore your heart out.  At the time you thought that you would die. But because of a deep root system and the grace of God you didn't.  Instead, that heavenly nourishment begin to flow through whatever passages you had left and now you can look back and see that your life is a testimony to the attributes of a loving God. 

Moral of the story?  Not sure there is one, but if there is it's this;

     1.  Develop a deep, strong root system.  Without something to hold you up you will blow       
          over. And without a pathway for God's grace and knowledge to get to you, you will shrivel up.
     2.  Don't worry about the scars.  They are simply testimonies to the storms that God has brought   
           you through. 
      3.  Keep growing.  After we have been through a storm we sometimes have a tendency to want
           to just sit down and not go further. Grow, live, get strong. 

I don't feel sorry for that tree at all.  Yep, it had a bad day.  Yep, it took a while to get over it.  But now it's very existence is a testimony to the grace of God.   

    
      

FOLLOW ME

Matthew 9:9

Matthew, the son of Alphaeus, was also called Levi.  He was from the region of Capernaum and was a Publican or Tax Collector.  He was probably the most educated of the twelve apostles.  In the eyes of the world at that time, Matthew was a man with a promising future.  Although we don't know for a fact that Matthew was like other tax collectors, most men with this job were unliked by the common man because tax collectors were known for abusing their position and swindling money from anyone they could. 

Matthew could have gone on and made a good living.  He could have made connections with those who were high up in the political circles.  He could have, except for one simple (or perhaps, not so simple) encounter with a man from Galilee. 

In Matthew 9:9 it simply states that Jesus passed by where Matthew was working and said "Follow me".  A simple statement that carried such profound, life-changing responsibility and blessings. 

Matthew's response seemed simple as well,  "He arose and followed Him".  But it actually wasn't that simple.  History tells us that for 15 years after that encounter he followed Jesus' leading by preaching the gospel to the Jewish people of that region.  Then following Jesus command to preach the gospel to the "uttermost parts of the world" went on the preach in Macedonia, Persia, Parthia and Ethiopia.  It was there, according to one writer that he was burned to death by the regional ruler Fulvian. 

I doubt that he really understood that day when Jesus called him from the tax receipt table what would be required of him.  But he was willing and faithful. 

You and I can't see what will be required of us down the road either.  Will all our hopes and dreams be fulfilled?  Will we fall flat on our face?  Will we suffer from sickness, tragedy?  We just don't know.  I know this however, we shouldn't expect a "cake walk".  Jesus Himself said "In this world you will have tribulations".

We are not responsible for the outcome but we are responsible for doing what Matthew did.  When He calls we must arise and follow where ever He leads.