Redbuds

Spring is in full force in my neck of the woods. And, with the arrival of Spring comes an old friend…the redbud tree. It’s a favorite of mine, always greeting me this time of the year with its vibrant colors contrasting with the usually still gray…but awakening…landscape.

This year especially, I’ve noticed that the colors of the redbuds are just spectacular, really deep and rich. I’ve enjoyed driving up and down the roads of my region, and seeing the redbuds just explode into color, a harbinger of life coming back to the area. I think I’ve come to appreciate the redbud for its tenacity, as it grows wildly almost anywhere. It never fails to spread color and joy wherever it appears.

Just the other day, I noticed a whole row of these trees growing in a very overgrown, and ugly, section of the woods I was passing. Here was this swampy area, with branches growing everywhere out of a whole host of trees, and yet, redbuds were springing up everywhere. Talk about a stark contrast! The rich colors of the redbuds really did stand out against that drab template of the thick overgrown woods.

Sometimes, I think we need redbuds to awaken us from what can seem like a drab existence. Yes, day to day living, at times at least, can seem pointless, boring, and more than a little bit empty. And then, when we most need it, we see the colors of a redbud tree piercing through the thicket.

God sends us “redbuds” a lot. Perhaps sometimes, these “redbuds” are prophets, or dare I say even Christ, who came to the world so that we may know the truth…talk about bringing color to the world! Sometimes these “redbuds” take the form of saints whose whole life is a message on how to live more fully, like a Mother Teresa, or a Pope John Paul II. Sometimes, these “redbuds” are more commonplace, like a smile from a friend when you most need it.

And, yes, sometimes, the “redbuds” are just that…redbud trees bringing color to a very drab and depressing place.

We need to always keep our eyes open for the “redbuds” in our lives. Not just the beautiful trees that come along each and every spring, but the many redbuds that appear all the time to bring joy to our existence. “Redbuds” are truly everywhere. We just need to slow down and see them, taking them in fully, in all their glory.

My hope for you my friend is that you will see a redbud real soon, and that it will bring you unimaginable joy.

-The Minister

The Smiley Face

Everyone remembers those big yellow and black smiley faces left over from the 1970’s. Now, these same smiley faces have made it into the electronic age. Heck, rare is the day when I don’t see a smiley face in an e-mail I receive.

When I wake up each morning, especially in the early morning while it is still dark, I’ve noticed a smiley face greeting me on the floor just outside my shower each morning. It’s just the reflection of the light from the smoke detector on the ceiling above that part of the floor, but man alive, does it ever project, and appear to be, a smiley face.

Each time I notice this, which is most every morning during the week as I rise to go to work, I have to smile myself. Was this intended for me, or just a product of how the smoke detector was installed, and where it was installed?

You have probably guessed my answer if you’ve read along this far.

I tend to think that God is just taking yet another chance to remind me to lighten up, to not take things and life so seriously. He’s also taking yet another chance to let me know how much He loves me.

God tries to get our attention in whatever manner possible, and in as many ways as possible. A smoke detector is certainly not a burning bush, but its nevertheless effective in letting me know I’m not alone.

I know, I know, I can hear folks now…its just a smoke detector and a trick of the light. And, as I’ve said, years ago, I would’ve agreed. Now I tend to think differently. Now I have come to believe that very little happens by chance

God’s got a big old sense of humor, and He’s letting me in on the joke every single morning.

-The Minister