I slipped my boot back on, tied the laces, grabbed my water bottle from my back pack, and hiking my pack onto my back, stood up and walked the few steps back to the main trail.
"Oh, Jesus!" I cried out. Hobbling on one leg I slipped my boot off again. And shook. Nothing. I reached into the boot with my hand, feeling around the sole. Ahh...there it was. The pebble was no bigger than a baby pea but it had felt like a boulder with edges as sharp as glass.
Slipping my boot back on I looked back on the trail I had just hiked. Mountain ash trees grazed the blue, cloudless sky and pink, blooming fireweed embraced the trial edges. An unseen crow cawed and branches snapped beyond the ground foliage that hid the squirrels, grouse and deer. Funny I hadn't seen any today, I thought. Usually I always see grouse lazily standing in the sun when hiking this trail.
And I wondered, how often do I take a pebble of a problem and magnify it to the size of a boulder? A boulder that grows so big as I bring my magnifying glass closer and closer until it seals me in a cave of darkness, blocking out all light. And instead of seeing, I become blind to all that is around me.
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." Isaiah 60:1-2
I turned on my heels, took a sip of water and looking up at the snow capped mountains, I stepped, gravel crackled under my boots.
Using the words of Joel Osteen: Magnify God, not your problems.
Otherwise, like me, you might miss the grouse on your trail. And His gracious, sun lit abundant sky.
What are you magnifying today?
16 comments:
I'm magnifying my family time today. :D
The worst is a thorn in your foot that you can't see.
Great lesson in this tale. I'll be magnifying some peace and quiet today, gearing up for my first day in front of my students -- the new school year starts tomorrow!
This was wonderful!! I needed this. I magnify things a lot and need to remind myself they're not as big as they seem. This was a great reminder.
It's all about perspective. :)
I'm totally magnifying my family today...although they all left me to do other things now. :-)
But I LOVE that reminder to step back and see things from His perspective.
What an excellent question. This is something we have to keep in the front of our mind, all the time.
Wonderful story! Thank you for sharing. I hope you had an awesome labor day.
Great story. I'm magnifying my talents (okay...I'm going to try). ;)
What wonderful advice! Right now I'm magnifying the fact that Blogger's only letting me comment on about half the blogs I'm trying to comment on. May be time for a break. :)
THose annoying pebbles can be so hard to find! :)
We just started our school year, so we're magnifying potential!
What a wonderful post! I'll be trying to step up the fun and dial down the worry today.
What a great analogy. Family is always centre in my magnifying glass.
Wow! Such a good post! And so, so true!
I've had those moments when a pebble in my shoe feels like it is tearing my foot apart and then turns out to be hardly visible. Problems in life can certainly be like that!
I'm magnifying God's blessings today. After record flooding (after our earthquakes and hurricanes) we still have electricity, running water, and a dry house. I have coffee, a computer, and time to do my homework. And my family is safe. What more could I want?
Very cool thought.
Today - a good friend's son is in a coma after a stakeboarding accident, so, yeah - that's definitely forefront on my mind today.
Excellent writing; excellent analogy. Did you snap that photo? I like the fat little guy.
Great post...is is so easy to get caught up with the challenges that we miss the smelling the flowers or seeing what is around us and our blessings. Thank you God for all those blessings and joys you put into our lives!
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