As I look out the window of what we refer to as our multi-purpose room(the ladies of the house refuse to give me complete control of it so I can’t call it my office), everywhere I look I see signs of life.
Here in Florida the grass has been growing for quite a while now. Since March I’ve been mowing once a week, and in a few more weeks the rainy season will change that to a twice-weekly chore.
Songbirds are constantly singing their unique songs, while a chorus of screeching jays, cardinals, and blackbirds announces the arrival of a bobcat, now hidden in my flower bed. Little gray squirrels run about the yard, chasing each other in an endless game of tag.
If I look to my right, I see pots of shrubs I started from cuttings a few months ago. Just beyond them is a pineapple plant that I grew from a rooted top of a pineapple bought at the grocery. Another one sits in a glass jar, awaiting the development of its own root system.
Palm trees are everywhere, which reminds me I need to call someone to trim the tallest ones. I no longer have the balance I once did, so climbing a 20’ ladder no longer seems like the wise thing to do.
The jasmine are beginning to bloom in force, filling the yard with their musky fragrance. Pink, red, and coral hibiscus are showing off their brilliant colors, as are flowering shrubs I potted up months ago but can’t recall the names of at the moment.
If all of this seems a bit idyllic, it’s because it is. Though I may be surrounded by homes, traffic, and people all running here and there doing whatever they are doing, this is my refuge.
You see, I need a place where I can get in touch with the things that matter to me. Whether it’s getting my hands in a flower pot, mowing the lawn, or simply enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of a myriad of living things, these are the things that ground me.
This does sound pretty nice, even if I do say so myself. And I do not want to give the impression that like the Apostle Paul, “I have learned that whatever state I find myself in, I am content”. I wish! Yet I know all too well that any peace and contentment would be impossible were it not for the anchor of my soul that holds this all together.
Jesus is that anchor and the rock that I rest upon.
While I do not have great wealth, I am rich in ways that no amount of money could purchase. When you possess the love of Christ, the desire for material wealth fades into obscurity.
I would like to think that you also have a place of refuge, a place to get away from the daily grind and the stresses of this life, a peaceful place to enjoy the things that are most important to you.
Most of all, I trust that you are anchored in Jesus Christ. Without Him, any such peace and contentment would be impossible.
Be blessed,
Ron
A Front Row View of The Church 