The Wooden Staircase

This afternoon I was sitting in the lobby of one of the buildings at work, looking at this wooden staircase.

I have always loved this staircase. I love how it gracefully curves to the floor, I love how the steps are wider on the outside than the inside. I love the sheen and shine of the wood. I love to let my hand slide along the railing as I step down each stair every afternoon.

While I was looking at this staircase today, though, I wasn't thinking about any of those things. I was thinking about myself. I was poring over my own feelings. . .feelings of being been taken for granted, being misunderstood and misused. It was while I was nursing my own personal injuries that the light from the window reflected off the wood of the staircase and caught my eye.

In a moment, it was as if I could see everything that had gone on in the creating of the staircase. You see, the tree didn't grow in that shape. The tree had to be cut down and the timbers cut for those steps. Each piece of wood had to be shaped to fit the curve of the staircase. They also had to be sanded smooth so no one would trip and fall as they traveled up or down.

The wood didn't grown in that beautiful deep, rich color either. The stain had to be brushed on and then rubbed off. Finally, the wood had to be polished, rubbed and rubbed until a reflection was easily seen.

The events that happened to me this afternoon were just part of the process of me going from a wild tree, to one day being a beautiful shining staircase. It is all part of removing a rough outer bark to reveal a reflection of glory and hopefully to provide a pathway for any who may need to see the way by what has happened in and through me.

I have always loved that staircase. Now I will love it even more.

Just a Smile

Saturday afternoon, I was on Departmental On-Call
for my unit in the hospital. Image by alwright1 via FlickrWhen I was notified that I had to come in to work, I was really upset. It wasn't about work, it was about football.

You see, since the beginning of the school's football program last year, I have been to every home game of the University of South Alabama. My plans for Saturday afternoon were to go to Ladd-Peebles stadium and enjoy the picture perfect weather and a great game, not to go to work.

When I arrived at work I was in a foul mood. It was a good thing I was to relieve the scrub nurse. This meant I was to wash used surgical instruments, take them downstairs to Central Sterile Processing, set up and check the conditions of the operating rooms. This was a good assignment for me because my attitude was so bad, I wasn't good for human interaction.

I went about my work with the instruments and then checking the operating rooms in relative silence. I wasn't exactly pouting, but I wasn't happy to be there either. Then I was ready to take the instruments downstairs to Central Sterile.

Central Sterile is about as far away from my unit as possible, so it was a good walk, pushing my cart. When I reached the door, I had to ring the door bell and wait for them to answer. I went inside and the lady working inside greeted me with the biggest and most beautiful smile I could imagine. She was very helpful giving me exactly what I needed and we chatted about something I can't even remember now, but I know that when I walked out that door, I was in a much better mood.

I was still at work, I was still missing the football game and the wonderful weather. But I had been touched by something better than football, better than a cool fall afternoon, something intangible. This woman's love, her joy, her helpfulness had showered out of herself onto me and changed my night.

I would not be surprised to find out she knows the Lord and was certainly walking in the Spirit that afternoon. I think what showered out of her onto me was the Lord. Then the Lord did what the Lord does, He redeemed and He restored.

Floating Along

Today Glen, Sparrow and I were walking by a little brook. In that brook a single red Image by zen via Flickrleaf was floating on the water. It caught my eye because it will be a few weeks before we begin to see widespread turning of colors down South. Even then, the majority of our trees are evergreen, keeping their verdant leaves throughout winter.

This little red leaf, though, had fallen from its branch and was floating on top of the water. I watched it for quite a while before I pointed it out to Glen. We stopped to watch its path in the water. It would twist and turn, sometimes turning over end to end, sometimes turning over side to side. It stayed afloat, however, and kept being pushed along by the current in the brook.

At one point the water reached some unseen obstruction and the water formed a tiny eddy. The leaf swirled around in a circle, seeming to go nowhere, but always in continual motion. Finally, when it completed the full circle, it was released from the current and sent again downstream. We turned to go home and I took one last glimpse of the little red leaf heading further and further down the stream.

When we had stopped to look at the leaf, Glen remarked that he thought the leaf "looked happy" in its casual float down the brook. It wasn't making any effort, yet its very construction was what enabled it to stay afloat. The fact that it had dried out on the branch, in preparation to fall, also helped keep it stiff enough to create a little boat -- or perhaps kayak-- upon the brook.

I am quite certain there are many lessons the Lord would love to teach me in the little red leaf. On the branch it appeared to die before all of the other leaves. It dried up "too soon", but that was exactly what saved it in the water, and what caused it to catch my eye.

It floated, apparently, effortlessly on the water. It let the water and the current be the guide and it was totally submissive to the will of the water. It didn't try to steer, to paddle or to sail. It only did what the water wanted it to do.

When in the eddies of the water, it may have seemed to the leaf as it was going no where, but it was in constant motion traversing the whole range of the circle of water. Only when it had completed the loop, was it free to float again in the easier water.

How much more like the leaf I long to be! I long to remember when I reach the eddies that even it seems as if I am going no where, the Lord is taking me through every detail of a lesson, a situation, so that I can know Him in ways I could know no other way.

I wish to float more effortlessly on the water, and not try so hard to push my own paddle or steer my own rudder. I wish to realize that the river has a course, a plan and a design and that the Lord has promised to make the way plain before my face.

I wish to remember that I cannot compare myself to any other leaf on the tree. The path and the timing the Lord has for me is not the same as for anyone else. Some will turn sooner, some later. Some will fall into the brook, some onto the ground. I must trust and believe that "as for God, His way is perfect."

How great is our Lord that He can hide truths of Himself in something as simple as a fallen leaf.

What Is Worship?

A local church is anticipating the arrival of a new pastor and with that pastor, several changes in the way their worship service is conducted. While Glen and I discussed this, our discussion lead to the true meaning of worship.

Many will immediately think of music and song, and yes, it is possible to worship the Lord in music and song. But that is not primarily the definition of worship. Others may think of prayer, and it is certainly possible to worship the Lord in prayer. But that is not the essence of worship either. In fact, it is entirely possible to pray and to sing praises to the Lord and to never enter into worship in any form whatsoever.

How is that possible, you may ask? We must look to the very first mention of worship in Scripture for our answer.

"And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." (Genesis 22:5)

Abraham was taking Isaac up to the mountain. There he intended to obey the Lord as He had commanded him:

"And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. " (Genesis 22:2)

Abraham did not intend to go up to the mountain to pray with Isaac, although I am sure his heart was full of prayer with each step. He did not intend to go up to the mountain to sing praises to the Lord, in fact, I would surmise his heart felt so heavy he could find no song to sing. But he could find obedience, and that was what was considered worship. The first time worship is mentioned in the Bible is regarding an act of obedience. The Hebrew word means to "bow down", to "prostrate oneself".

How different is that definition than what we see today so often defined as "worship"? There is often an abject lack of humility, a lack of obeisance. On the contrary, we may see faces flashed brightly on huge screens, amplified versions of voices and names plastered in text to clearly make known who is doing the "worshiping". But it seems we might have forgotten the "Who" that is being worshiped.

If our actions of singing, musical performance, prayer --whatever we think worship should be-- is not in obedience to what the Lord wants us to do at that moment, it cannot be considered worship. Worship cannot exist without obedience.

Perhaps on this particular occasion, the Lord does not want us to stand in front of the spotlights, in front of the audience. Perhaps today He wants us to sit by a frail, elderly church member, to help her steady herself in her seat. Perhaps no one will notice our efforts on her behalf. Perhaps He wants us to help some dear one out to their car, or hold a crying inconsolable baby in the nursery. No one may know of what we have done.

Ah, but the Lord will know. And if we have done these in obedience to Him, it will be far more worship than if we had sung ten thousand songs in the spotlight.

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
(Matthew 25:40)