It's the little things

 This past January, I undertook a large task...one bigger than I had anticipated! I am taking a virtual walk from my home to Rio Rancho, New Mexico; a trek that, when completed, should cover nearly 1550 miles! There is a reason for this undertaking:  https://www.healinghearts.org/donations/walker998/
I'm only into my third month on this journey, and already I'm feeling the daily pressure; in order to complete the trip before December 31, I need to put in about 5 miles a day. And, truth to tell, sometimes it feels a little overwhelming!

Yesterday morning I headed out to start the first mile. I have a great area right around my house where I take laps every day. So, head down, I start, focused on the ground before me...and then the routine starts to sink in...15 laps, 100 minutes at a good clip...I can soldier through. But then, I hear the birds singing as I walk, and I sense the silence around me. It's a little thing, but I've become keenly aware of their varied melodies as I walk through the neighborhood. It's sweet and peaceful. 

And then, on this overcast day, I catch a glimpse of blue sky amid the gray; there's not a lot of blue, but enough that I can also see the sunshine pushing its way through the cover. It's a little thing, but the blue seems much more vibrant when painted against the steel grey clouds. There's hope for more sunshine up ahead! 

And then I come across the lovely pink hue of the tree across the street, the waving flag in the brisk spring air...these are just little things that bring fond memories and a bit of joy to what could be an otherwise mundane walk. 

And then, as I turn the corner, I smell the sweet pear blossoms! I close my eyes for a brief moment, take a deep breath, and savor the fragrance that speaks of new life and a new season...and I come closer to look at the delicate blooms, swaying gently, causing the sunshine to dance through the branches. It just a little thing, but I allow this moment to slow me down and remember the gift of another day, another walk, another step, another breath.

I find that thankfulness and gratefulness are first and foremost to a life of peace, centered on the One who has given all TO me and FOR me. What sustains me and grounds me from year to year, day to day, step by step, isn't the big moments and the big changes that come and go in our lives, but it's thankfulness and dependence on Jesus who faithfully walks with me as I continue on. Out of the drab and routine, we can find great joy and matchless satisfaction in gratitude...for the little things! 

Look up!

 I find that when I'm out walking these days (which I've been doing quite a bit of lately!), I tend to look down. Now, for safety reasons, that may not be a bad idea...I need to be aware of any puddles and dips in the road, and make sure I don't twist my ankle on a branch or rock that made its way to my path. But, once I realize I've been doing this a while, I also notice my neck getting stiff. So, I look up...and oh, how much better it is to look up! When I'm looking down, I don't notice much besides how the rain left a water mark on the asphalt, or how some blossoms and seeds have already fallen to the ground from the fresh spring blooms.

But when I look up, I see so much beauty...the trees are red and green and white as spring breathes its life into all the trees and bushes in the neighborhood. I see how the birds flit from tree to housetop to tree...and I still cannot understand how they fly at all!! And when I look up at trees from beneath, everything has a new perspective.

And I think we tend, so easily, to set our focus downward or inward; when we set our gaze downward, we don't see the vastness of the life that is all around us. When we keep our focus inward, we can become consumed with our failure or shortcomings, or the pain and grief that we are facing; but when we do that, we won't see the beauty and the glory of the bigger picture around us. One of my favorite Scriptures comes to mind when I think through these things...”I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

I think I spend enough time bogged down with pressure and care, feeling the strain of keeping a downward gaze...doubt, discouragement tend to dwell there. But, oh, when I look up! My troubles, my burdens, my pain seem so much smaller in the light of who He is, and the grandeur of His kingdom!

"For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity,
whose name is Holy:

'I dwell in the high and holy place,
and with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, 

to revive the spirit of the humble, 

and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.'"

Isaiah 57:15

Is justice ever served?

 I think we've all heard the saying “let the punishment fit the crime.” Humanity has always had a means of providing consequences for crimes committed...there has always been in place a system of justice. Or at least we've tried to. In some countries, hands are still cut off as punishment for theft; in others, 'an eye for an eye' is still used as literal retribution for crime; in still other places, stoning or beheading may be the sentence for adultery, rape, murder or drug trafficking. Even in our own country, we see a wide variety of consequences for a wide variety of criminal activity, from fines, community service, probation, prison time and sometimes even the death penalty, depending on the crime committed and the state or local jurisdiction, for offenses ranging from petty theft to first-degree murder.

PC: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/08/criminal-justice-system-failing-victims-majority-feel-unsafe-chief-victims-advisor/_jcr_content/par/video/image.dynimg.1280.q75.jpg/v1565120272734/GETTY-Justice-Generic-220218-1120.jpg

But I'm not writing here about the virtues or failures of any judicial system, either here in our country or abroad. I want to think for a moment about whether justice is really ever served. If someone breaks into your home, sifts through your personal belongings and treasures, and takes your possessions, will any penalty imposed on the criminal ever restore your sense of security? When your home is invaded, you are left feeling uncovered and violated; will the perpetrator's days in prison really make up for the hundreds of times you walk in the door of your house, wondering if it's happened again? When you have been slandered, will any financial compensation cause the words to be unsaid or remove all question in the mind of those who may have heard the lies that were told about you? Does someone else's death ever make full restitution for the senseless killing of a family member or friend? Does man's justice ever erase the crime that was inflicted on us or a loved one?

One day we will all stand before a Judge, to Whom we must give an account; there will be no attorney, working on our behalf, trying to find loopholes or leniency for the crimes we have committed. And make no mistake...we will be held accountable for every thoughtless (or thoughtful) act, every careless word and every intent of our hearts, before Him whose eyes see it all; nothing will be hidden, but all will be laid bare before Him. Hebrews 4:13 says, “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” And right there, before the judgment seat of God, justice will INDEED be served. All sin, all crime, all offenses are ultimately against a Holy God; all of us have fallen short of the glory of God, of His standard. (Romans 3:23) And, unless we have acknowledged our brokenness and sinfulness before God, and received new life in Jesus Christ, we remain condemned to death, no hope of heaven, no hope of eternal life in the presence of the One who created us. (John 3:17). Justice is served in the death of Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, who carried our sin and took our criminal sentence upon Himself; the penalty has been paid in full. In the death of this innocent One, justice has been served. And if your life is not hidden with Christ today, know for certain that, at the final trial, one way or another, God will act; each one of us will either be exonerated in Christ, or we will be found guilty. Justice will be served.

PC: https://www.mygc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/YOUTH_JUSTICE.jpg