Wednesday, 7/2019

Wednesday

The overcast skies of the morning, lend a brilliance to the many colors of green that surround me in the forest. There is a captivating little creek along the edge of the thickness of the trees. As I come near, I hear the gurgling of the brook and just barely see the tadpoles as they dart and hide under the rock shelving. They are so swift in their retreat it is hard to get a good look. I find that if I stand just right and still enough, for long enough, they venture back out. I can then see that among the tiny tadpoles are also a marvelous little school of small fish.

I breathe deeply of the fragrant forest air and consider the fish. I think of myself this week darting to and fro, in and out of fear for my player.
He is such a relational person. When the coach doesn’t play him, he feels disconnected and doesn’t play as well, so coach doesn’t play him… round and round it goes. It’s the personal connection that fuels his game of both baseball and life.

Yesterday, he was mightily challenged. It was hump day and fatigue was high as was my concern for him. But, it turned out that his struggles opened up communication with his coach and the next game was the best of his Coopertown experience. My player was back, energized with his diving catches, rifling throws to first, his racing slides to third. I suspect it was the connection to coach that turned him around.
So as I stand still and watch the fish who now come out to play in numbers, Psalm 46:10 comes unbidden: “Be still and know that I am God.”
It makes me consider how He takes my darting thoughts, my in and out of fear and brings clarity to calm my silly soul. When I stand just right on His promises and am still enough, for long enough, I can know that He is God. And when I stop to know, He opens me to the stillness of His beauty alongside a gurgling brook and the fantastic greens of His forest.