You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. Psalm 65:9-12
We live in the desert. Every summer the mountains and the plants turn brown and everything looks dead. Scrubby bushes along the road look like dead weeds. Spring is definitely here in Arizona. The plants and bushes that appear as weeds are filled with wildflowers of every color. We aren't blessed with much rain here, but when it comes, it is welcome by all who live here.
Last week after having watered all of my plants and pulling weeds, I took about 20 minutes to just sit on the patio with the ceiling fans blowing a gentle breeze. I sat quietly with the dogs on either side of me in silence. I heard birds singing all around me and a dark green hummingbird came to say hello to us. I was admiring the brilliant color of my petunias and geraniums blooming and I began to think what it would be like to be someone like Scott McIntyre. He attends the church we used to attend and was an American Idol contestant last year. Scott is an amazing musician, has a great voice and an accomplished pianist. What would it be like to never be able to see the brilliant flowers or the views of our mountains that surround us, turning green from all of the vegetation in the spring?
What would it be like to be a girl from our church, whom at 3, discovered she wasn't developing because she couldn't hear? They gave her hearing aids and she was able to hear 40%. Two years ago as a high schooler she had an implant and her hearing has been restored to 90% in one ear. How her life has been transformed to be able to hear the birds singing and music from her ipod! What if we lived in a world of entire silence?
As I was at the gym today it dawned on me how blessed I am that my legs are useful enough to be able to workout. This weekend we went bike riding with the kids and it was such a nice ride! Why is it that I don't use them more often? What if something happened and I no longer had the use of them like I once did? What if I couldn't do things with my kids like bike, hike, ski because I was confined to a wheel chair?
Who causes the beautiful waterfalls to flow in Hawaii and Colorado? Who supplies the waters in the many lakes of Minnesota and Michigan? Who send the rains to the crops in the midwest that supply all of our food for us and the animals to consume? Who gives the farmers success in their crops year after year? Who keeps us from famine?
Who has created so many places on earth that reflect how beautiful the original garden looked like? Why would He create such beauty? I think because He loves beauty Himself. He has created so many variations of flowers and trees. There are so many different species of animals, birds and fish, all for us to enjoy!
How many times to do we just sit on our chairs outside and stop to listen the birds singing, enjoying the sun on our faces, the clouds in the sky, the rabbits running playfully across the grass? Today I stopped to say thank you for the simple things like my hearing, sight and the ability to use my legs. What simple things are you thankful for? Take the time to enjoy the simple things in life and acknowledge that is God who gives us those things!
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