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We Were Born for “Such a Time as This”
I have an exercise route in our neighborhood that covers a mile and a half. When I was younger and stronger, I used to run that route twice a week to try and stay in shape. Now as I’m getting older, I still traverse that route somewhat regularly, but I no longer run. And while walking that route recently, my much slower pace allowed me to notice a small piece of God’s creation that reminded me of my own mortality.
I was on the second half of my route and at the beginning of a steep incline when I saw the partial remains of a tree tossed to the side of the road. Obviously, the tree had fallen or been cut down, and someone had sawed off about a seven-inch portion but neglected to take it away. Since it was a little too heavy to carry all the way up that hill, I returned in my car later and brought it home to examine it more closely.
There, I measured its circumference — approximately 27 inches — and I weighed it, too, on our bathroom scale, and it’s over 12 pounds. It reminds me of that children’s book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. If you’ve ever read that story, you know that it’s about a little boy and a tree, growing older together. They share quite a few experiences, but by…
