 We have come to enjoy walking. We used to drive everywhere, now we walk. I don’t know why things are different now than when we lived in South Africa, maybe it is because it is so easy to get around on foot and catch a bus or tram later. There is something calming about going slower that we really enjoy, even if it has taken a while for us to embrace it.
Everyday we walk the boys to school and everyday Luc finds a stick along the way. Sticks are his thing, you could say he is somewhat of a collector. It doesn’t matter where we are, school, church, in the city or even the store, Luc can find sticks anywhere. It is never the same stick, unless it is one he has retrieved from the various hiding places and storage spots that he has meticulously assembled across the town. It is rare that he needs to retrieve a stick, these are the very bad days where one cannot be found, but normally he finds one. He finds a new stick every day and adds it to his ever-growing stockpile. We have reached the point where we need to vet the sticks he brings home. They are not allowed in the apartment, but he can play with them on the balcony. When we look back on photos of Luc over the last few years, we laugh. It has now become a bit of a game; we play, “can you spot the stick?” These days I am busy with language class in the mornings, so I don’t drop him off, but I collect him at the end of the day. We will walk home and I will ask him about his day. He breaks off mid-sentence, stoops down then straightens up, stick in hand. It used to irritate me, especially when he would break my grip and run off to collect his prize before anyone else can (he is convinced that everyone wants his sticks). I never notice the stick until Luc picks it up. It’s not that it wasn’t there, I just wasn’t looking for it. One day when we were walking home this exact scenario played out, just as it does everyday, but this day my response was different. I had this moment in which I realized that an important lesson could be learnt from Luc’s “stick search”. I was reminded of the passage in Jeremiah (29:13) where God makes a promise, “If you search for me with all your heart, you will find me.” God is not around somedays and away or striking (something that France and South Africa both know a lot about) on others. He is always there and on some days I see or hear Him, on others I don’t. I realized in that moment that maybe it is because I am not looking. There are so many days when we just go about our tasks, focused on where we are going, that we forget to look for Him in the day. To speak, pray or commune with Him. God is always there and has already searched me out, He is also hoping that I will search for Him too. Sometimes life can feel overwhelming and you need other people around you who can see “the sticks” when you can’t. It’s not that they aren’t there, they just need to be pointed out. On other days you may be the one pointing out “sticks” to others. Then there are the days where, for whatever reason, you need to go to the stockpile to find “your stick”. It is on these days that you reap the rewards of journaling a prayer, recording moments you have been thankful for, or a word of encouragement that you received from God. God told Joshua to build a pile of stones after the Israelites crossed the Jordan so that future generations would ask why the stones were there and could be reminded of what God did. Much the same today, we can stockpile the good things God has done, that when the rough seasons come, we can be reminded of His goodness. I hope to be a person who sees sticks and is able to point them out. I hope to be a person who piles up stones and can share why. Luc collects sticks, Henri collects stones. May we search for God, everyday in the same way. Read more... |
