Icy Jewels

Job 38:30

The waters are hid as with a stone,

and the face of the deep is frozen.

Every winter I'm amazed to see the great mounds of ice that build up on Lake Erie.  Just a few short months ago I watched the kids swim and skip rocks across the lake.  Today, frigid winds scurry snow devils across the surface, and jagged pieces of ice protrude from the pressure of the water freezing underneath.  All of the warmth and pleasure of the lake is hidden.

Just like the lake, so many things in life get hidden beneath a crust created by time, circumstances, or misunderstanding.  If we had the power to see beneath the obvious, we might evoke warm, pleasurable, and unexpected results.  Would it take the chill out of the relationship between a mother and daughter, if mama realized she will be a better parent because of that wayward daughter.  Would the teacher feel less frazzled to realize it's not the "A" student who makes her a great teacher?  Would a pastor wish for a congregation of compliant saints if he knew he'd never fully develop his ministry?

You see, we get caught up in looking at the hard, unforgiving, and uncomfortable face of things as they are today.  When circumstances and people in our lives make it "hard," we tend to judge them undesirable.  But beneath those frigid mounds standing in the way of pleasure and ease, vital changes are being made.  And just like Lake Erie, we'll be changed... changed for the better.  We'll be more understanding parents, teacher's who've created inovative methods for reaching the struggling student, and ministers with greater compassion, patience and understanding.  Could it be those undesirable things and people in life are icy jewels in reality?

The Friendship Bridge

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loveth at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity.

© 9/10 Angela Beatty

It had been a while since I walked this trail... much longer than I thought. I was totally surprised to find this dilapidated contraption standing among debris, dry rocks, and a slight trickle of water where a bubbling stream hand once meandered under a freshly painted and sturdy bridge. The shock literally stopped me in my tracks and confused me. I had to pause and try to figure out exactly when I had last been there. My best guess was eight years ago.

It's amazing that things can change so drastically in less than a decade. I tend to forget that time is eating away at everything and expect it to remain just as I last saw it. At least.... time wears away things that aren't kept in good repair. I can't imagine letting a bridge just waste away after all the hard work that went into building it! It seems like such a waste!!

But maybe I do that too. Like the stream, relationships dry up and the need for a bridge to connect two people just doesn't seem as important anymore. Does it? But when the spring rains come again, and the brook is bubbling, a broken bridge is useless in making a connection. All of the years spent together... all of the laughter.... the tears.... the learning about each other.... where does it all go? There's something heartrending about recognizing the shell of a once strong friendship and yet being helpless to span the gap that now separates you.

Whether it's a friend or family member, it's worth the time to make sure our bridges are still serviceable and can be crossed when the need arises.