A gem in the woods

Growing up I lived a life any child would and should envy. We lived in spontaneity, found clarity through adventure and even dabbled in a little bit of trouble. However, one of the most memorable things I will always keep dear to my heart is going and “playing” on the acreage at my grandparents’ house. Though there are many memories to talk about, one in particular illustrates my point.

As a kid I thought the acreage out there spanned about 50,000 miles in any direction and that lions, tigers and bears roamed the place! I also thought (thanks to my dads’ imaginative mind) that real Indians still lived out there! I remember when this thought really sunk into my head one day as we were hiking through the miles and miles of woods, at least that’s what it felt like to me. We had been walking for what seemed like days and we were in creeks, out of creeks, through creeks, over hills, under trees… we were lost! Well, maybe not lost but as a kid it seemed like home was miles and miles away. I was tired and maybe a bit grumpy and just about ready to head back. We had been wading through these woods for so long and I had nothing to show for it other than my soar feet and soggy shoes! Nothing to show for it until the keen Indian tracking abilities of my father came into play.

“Jason!” he yelled. “come ‘er boy.”

Wide eyed I scampered up the side of a hill, soggy shoes and all and ran to the side of my super-human father.

“What did you find?” I asked.

But without him even answering I peered down into the pile of rocks and noticed something I will never forget! It was a real… no, a genuine…. could it have actually been in battle and killed someone? It was perfect, a perfect point at the end, with a perfect nock to tie onto the end of the stick. I mean WOW… this was a real, genuine Indian arrow head! It was pristine! This painful walk through all the brush and trees and creeks landed me right on top of a gem and I never knew it! My dad always told me they were there, but man was he right!

Recently I have experienced the return of that same feeling. I have been wading through the book of Lamentations only to notice a Gem found deep with in the book. Sometimes when I try and dig into books that I don’t immediately understand I feel like that little kid again, just ready to go home. But, just like my father revealing that arrow head to me, the grace of my King is also sufficient to reveal His Word to me as well. Though my “feet might be soar” and my “shoes might be soggy”, it makes it all the more impactful when I persevere to find that gem hidden deep in the woods. Sometimes those gems are just sitting on the surface, but we find ourselves so lost in the woods we don’t take the time to look down at the obvious places.

Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

How refreshing it is to dwell richly in His Word, and how sinful I am to let the business of life crowd that out. Lord might your Word dwell richly in us!