I want to be like a leaf! Do you?

 

This picture was worth at least a 100 thoughts for me! The other day as I was walking into my house, this dogwood tree caught my eye. I had to stop and behold it's beauty with the sun shining through the exquisite red leaves. The tree got my attention as if it had spoken my name. Walking away, God said "What if people would let me shine through them like the sun shone through the leaves on that tree?" Good question. What if we would? I've always been a tree hugger and I started to really relate to that tree! Here's a couple of my thoughts: 

• WE EXPECT ORDER. That's a dogwood tree in the picture. We expect it to have red leaves in the fall, crooked branches and red berries. We are God's people. We're expected to be kind, love our neighbor and walk in righteousness. What if we walked outside our door expecting a dogwood tree and saw a pine? Would we be confused? What if people look at us expecting Christ-like behavior and think we're demon possessed?  Would it leave them shaking their heads? How can God shine through us if we are out of order?
• WE EXPECT OBEDIENCE. Don't we? What if that same dogwood tree turned red in the summer and green in the fall and didn't loose it's leaves? This reaction is absolutely contrary to what we expect. The unusual behavior would be in direct disobedience to God's natural plan. Do we do things that are disobedient? Are people expecting one thing from us and we do the opposite? Is God expecting something different than what he's seeing from us? How can God shine through us if we are disobedient?

I want to be like a leaf! I asked God to help me be like the leaves on that tree, transparent enough for His spirit to shine through to others and committed enough to maintain my "color" so people will know I'm his! I see several more things in the picture, not just the tree. Next week, I'll talk about what else I see. Do you see anything you could compare yourself to relating to God? Leave me a comment!

Reflecting,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap