Building A Dam
I just want to put this out there:
Yesterday we (Sam, Caleb -16, Priscilla -14, Timo -10, Andrew -8, and Hannah -5) went to a creek and decided to build a small dam. Some carried big rocks, some small, some added handfuls of pebbles. One huge rock or a handful of small rocks did not build it or even hardly make a dent in it. But each tiny addition added to the success of building it. With many additions you could see small, incremental changes in the flow of water. For it to be really effective, we had to have a lot of tiny little stones, pebbles and sand. I reflected that this is a lot like life and progress. We could have left the stream alone and done nothing. But we decided to change it. We used muscle, effort, creativity and intelligence to bring about change - to create beauty, sound effects, and to marvel at our own power and work. Every small discovery, effort of big movement in a new direction can create a change in the course and flow of our lives. I was encouraged to see that the many small rocks were as necessary to progress as the big ones. I want to keep on working and discovering and finding power to change the course of the flow of life.
Of course I realize this is a work God does. At the same time, I recognized yesterday that God certainly can cause an earthquake, tornado or such - and tumble rocks into that stream that I could never muster the strength to budge. His power is of course far beyond anything I can fathom. Yet He gives me hands, a brain, abilities and creativity to involve myself in affecting change in my own life as much as a simple stream, and far more so, I daresay.
Be encouraged to know the tiny pebbles are as necessary to progress as the huge boulders. A boulder impeded the stream, but left gaps only small stones could fill. Each discovery is progress, and each exertion of effort isn't wasted. Even in failure we learn what doesn't work.
Sometimes engaging with nature opens our eyes to see what we've been missing all along...
Yesterday we (Sam, Caleb -16, Priscilla -14, Timo -10, Andrew -8, and Hannah -5) went to a creek and decided to build a small dam. Some carried big rocks, some small, some added handfuls of pebbles. One huge rock or a handful of small rocks did not build it or even hardly make a dent in it. But each tiny addition added to the success of building it. With many additions you could see small, incremental changes in the flow of water. For it to be really effective, we had to have a lot of tiny little stones, pebbles and sand. I reflected that this is a lot like life and progress. We could have left the stream alone and done nothing. But we decided to change it. We used muscle, effort, creativity and intelligence to bring about change - to create beauty, sound effects, and to marvel at our own power and work. Every small discovery, effort of big movement in a new direction can create a change in the course and flow of our lives. I was encouraged to see that the many small rocks were as necessary to progress as the big ones. I want to keep on working and discovering and finding power to change the course of the flow of life.
Of course I realize this is a work God does. At the same time, I recognized yesterday that God certainly can cause an earthquake, tornado or such - and tumble rocks into that stream that I could never muster the strength to budge. His power is of course far beyond anything I can fathom. Yet He gives me hands, a brain, abilities and creativity to involve myself in affecting change in my own life as much as a simple stream, and far more so, I daresay.
Be encouraged to know the tiny pebbles are as necessary to progress as the huge boulders. A boulder impeded the stream, but left gaps only small stones could fill. Each discovery is progress, and each exertion of effort isn't wasted. Even in failure we learn what doesn't work.
Sometimes engaging with nature opens our eyes to see what we've been missing all along...
Comments
Post a Comment