I was far north in New York state. Small towns and a landscape of old farms were what impressed me. Places of dreams and hopes that had come to an end...farm machinery that was for sale and the landscape seemed littered with the remains of what had been.
There are times that I feel a bit like that used farm machinery sitting there in the rain. I find myself at the end of my hoarded resources...saving for the rainy day is finished and the rain has come. Dreams come to an end and reality sets in with a vengeance. The bills have to be paid and responsibilities have to be lived up to. That is the time when the simple things of the gospel seem to make the most sense to me.
No great philosophical statements help me half way between Ogdensburgh and Plattsburgh. What helps me is the reality of your work in my heart and life, Lord Jesus...such simple things, really.Luke 10
He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.”
I got to admit that sometimes I am a smudge short on the passion...and I am left with prayer, muscle and intelligence. That is when your Spirit speaks to me in words soft yet clear..."Kurt, Keep it Simple Silly man...grace remains alive within you...hope comes when you least expect to find it. The journey is not over in the middle of the rain watching old farm machinery rust."
Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
So ok...sometimes the journey moves on from rusted tractors in the rain, one step at a time knowing that the Spirit of the Living God continues to move in our hearts even when we are tired beyond description. Mercy coupled with action, walking in the light...that sounds like a plan.
Peterson, Eugene H. (2006-06-15). The Message Remix 2.0: The Bible In contemporary Language (p. 1855). NavPress. Kindle Edition.
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