Word Made Flesh International Executive Director, Clint Baldwin, offers a word of encouragement here as he reflects on the intricacy of nature and perseverance.
“As we were driving our youngest daughter to have bloodwork done in Cincinnati the other day, I saw & was able to take a quick photo of the tree that is shown.
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Seeing the tree starkly projecting from the cliff, I was reminded of works of Japanese and Chinese artists portraying cherry blossom, pine, and other trees clinging to mountainsides.
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I thought of the symbolic potency of such a vision in relation to our own lives & to life itself.
Life showcases a tenacity to persist & thrive against incredible odds. Through such perseverance, the world is presented with new forms & sensibilities of beauty. We once again are gifted with the ability to marvel at the wondrousness of life.
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Such recognitions remind me of God being both Creator & Sustainer. I am reminded that with God all is possible. (Mat. 19:26)
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Scriptures share that the earth teaches us if we will listen,
‘But ask the animals, & they will teach you; the birds of the air, & they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, & they will teach you; & the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing & the breath of every human being.’ (Job 12:7-10)
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As C.S. Lewis wrote in ‘The Weight of Glory’ about our marvelousness as creations of the Creator, ‘There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, & their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously – no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.’
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Perhaps this reflection will encourage & embolden you, as a creation of the Creator Who Sustains, to further persevere today?!
How might you seek to surround yourself with people of like mind & heart who will accompany & buoy you as you tenaciously persist?
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Gal. 6:9 reminds, a day of fulfillment of hope is coming, ‘And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.'”
Clint Baldwin
Executive Director of Word Made Flesh International
clint.baldwin@wordmadeflesh.com
