Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: ANCIENT (06/04/20)
-
TITLE: Cross-section | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Borga
06/11/20 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Someone with far more patience than I possess has carefully counted the rings from the outer bark and cambium layer and into the heartwood to the center core. The varying thickness of each ring paints a tangible picture of its years of plenty or times of drought. By starting from when the tree was harvested and counting backward, one can judge the approximate age. Tiny paper tags have been added to the display to mark the years when important historical events occurred. When Columbus sailed to the new world in 1492, the tree was a mere sapling. When America declared its independence from England in 1776, it was well into maturity. Around the time of my own birth, the tree was nearing its demise. As I ponder the half-millennium it lived, it makes my life expectancy pale in comparison.
Psalm 90, written by Moses, is our oldest psalm. In it, Moses addresses the antiquity of God and contrasts God’s eternity with the brevity of man’s existence on earth. He reminds us of the uncertainty of our days. He tells us that seventy years is what we might expect, or “by reason of strength” they could be eighty. Since I’ve recently celebrated my seventieth birthday, the thought is sobering indeed!
Moses goes on to say:
“So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (NKJV)
A tree has no choice where it is planted. Its longevity and growth are determined by the amounts of sun, rainfall, and nutrients in the soil. Droughts, diseases, fires, injuries, and insect plagues influence the way it grows. Storms can break, bend, or strengthen. A sudden catastrophe might cut its life short or, like that bubinga tree, it might flourish for centuries.
Unlike a tree, I’ve been free to choose where I go and what I do with my allotted time. If I could view my own life as a cross-section, how would it look? My core, my early years, might appear dark and dense, like the center core of a tree, for the light of the gospel was absent then. Once the good news was implanted in me, I imagine that my growth rings took on a beautiful golden hue.
But as with trees, my development has varied from year to year. Faith blossomed when the Bible gave me long-sought answers to life’s mysteries. Growth swelled with obedience to my wedding vows. There was a lushness to the season when we tried our best to teach our children God’s ways. Even when things went awry, when the only, and perhaps, the best action available, was to stay on our knees… that may have been the period of greatest growth.
There were times of drought and darkness when my pride and selfishness overtook my desire to be obedient. Where I might have grown stronger and straighter, I sometimes failed to thrive. There were times when I shied away from studying God’s word and instead filled my mind with a less nutritious fare. There were days when worries and pessimism invaded my spirit like destructive insects. Sometimes disappointment and sorrow paralyzed my ability to pray and I could do nothing more than to hold tight to the promise that he would never leave me. I looked up to the Light-giver and found compassion in his presence. And in time, the healing rains of faith poured down on me once again.
Like Moses, I’m asking God to teach me to number my days, to make the best use of my remaining years. I hope my seasons of greatest growth lie ahead. I hope they are marked by acts of praise and important lessons learned. I hope to love deeper and more sacrificially.
God’s plan of redemption is ancient and eternal. He knew from the beginning what he must do to redeem his creation. May I live my life in such a way that those dear to me might catch a glimpse of the perfect love of Christ.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. Psalm 90:2 (NKJV)
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
