The cool air of the
morning had begun to give way to the warmth of a sunny April day by the time we
arrived at Pittsburg Landing. This is
one of the few places where you can drive right into Hell’s Canyon. I was glad we were here in April and not in July
or August, when the heat can be suffocating.
The high, thin clouds gave a surreal backdrop to this unique
location. We had just come through a
mountain saddle, lush and green with trees and grass, only to drop down into a
deep gash in the land highlighted by the Snake River coursing along the bottom.
The camera shutter was clicking
away as we walked around the parking and picnic areas. The tree that is the subject of this photo
was nothing special, being so similar to all the other trees that lined the
canyon bottom. And yet, through my
wife’s God-given talent, she transformed the ordinary into something of beauty.
This reminds me so much of what
God does in our lives. He takes the
ordinary, the plain, and the seemingly useless things of our lives and turns
them into works of art. Only the Creator
of the Universe could work such magic.
As we deal with the hurts, pains, and humiliation of our past, it can be
difficult to see the potential for the wondrous which God recognizes as
existing inside you and me. After all,
we are created in His image! Every
spring, God takes the dry, brown and dead plants and trees and paints amazingly
brilliant colors with His heavenly palette.
If our God can transform the world every spring, then He certainly has
the power to transform you and me.
Another story also comes to mind
as I recall Pittsburg Landing: the story of a prince who didn’t want to accept
the truth of who he was, so he ran away to a desert place, hoping to escape his
own doubts, fears and failures. Moses
herded sheep for 40 years in a place similar to this. The loneliness and solitude, I’m sure, must
have been overpowering at times. And
yet, God used the time in Midian to mold and train Moses for his future, his
destiny. Maybe the burning bush was a
tree like this one: ordinary and plain until it was useful to God for His
purposes. And the world has never been
the same since!
Are you struggling in your own
desert place? Is your life ordinary,
plain, nothing special? Remember, the
verdant green valleys are not far away.
Will you allow God to lead you there, to restore your soul, and to work
magic in your heart?
- The Scribe