Good morning and happy Saturday. We have made it to the last weekend in June. That proves we are having fun since the time is flying by this year.
I was out and about one morning and something caught my attention (which is not unusual). As I walked along, I saw a leaf suspended in mid-air. It was 10 feet from the nearest tree branch and about ten feet above the ground. In the morning light, it looked like it was simply defying gravity as it danced in the light breeze. I probably looked silly but I stood there and watched the leaf for a few minutes, fascinated by how it was held in place by a nearly invisible thread. After a few moments, my ADHD kicked in and I continued my journey. Nevertheless, I was thankful to have seen this marvelous sight. A simple leaf, hanging in mid-air, gentle twisting in the wind. As I walked on, I thought about a couple of things. First of all, I wondered how many things like that I had missed in life as I rushed about. Seriously, when was the last time I stopped to look at a leaf, a flower, a bird, or a sunset? The same thing applies across the spectrum of our lives. We can get busy or pre-occupied and not notice a lot of things. The countenance of a friend, the needs around us, a chance to share the Gospel. The second thing I thought of was that we are like that leaf. As Christians, we are suspended between the earth and heaven. This earth is not really our permanent home and we are not yet in heaven. Some days it seems like a tug of war going on. We feel more pulled toward earthly things than the heavenly ones. Other days, the opposite is true. Finding and maintaining balance is not the easiest thing to do. God allows us to live on the earth knowing that someday we will leave this place and be with Him forever. The balance is found in seeking to advance the kingdom of heaven through our lives here while we wait for the life to come. Obviously, that is easier said than done. One passage that I am quite fond of is Acts 1:8-11. After Jesus gave the disciple the commission to be His witnesses, He ascended to heaven right before their eyes. As they stood there looking to the heavens, two angels appeared and interrupted their cloud watching. They asked them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.” Well, it appears that the disciples got the hint. We read that then they went into Jerusalem and began to fulfill the commission that Jesus had given to them. I think that that is a good picture for us. We know that Jesus is coming again. Until He does, or we take our last breath, we are to live for Him. It’s ok to glance at the clouds once in a while. Just don’t spend all of your time there.
Larry
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