It was right there in plain sight. I just missed it.
How often has that been true in your life?
It was something that you should have noticed. You looked right at it.
But you missed it.
I experienced that recently in my own backyard. I’m talking literally in my backyard—the yard behind my house.
For the first time in months I had a Saturday at home with tolerable temperatures for early June and no rain. It was time to do some long-neglected shrub trimming and vine eliminating. I was actually looking forward to it. I knew I would exert myself and sweat. I was counting it as a workout and accomplishing something that needed to be done. It was a win all around.
But I missed it hiding right there in plain sight. I spent a few minutes looking for it, but I never saw it. I didn’t even realize it for a couple of, but I have certainly realized it since.
I’m talking about the little three-leaf vine hiding in plain sight among the five-leaf vines.
I’m not enough of a horticulturist to know the difference between poison oak and poison ivy, but unless I have somehow contracted leprosy, I know I’ve found one of them!
After a few days of misery, I went back and looked in that spot again. There it was! Hiding in plain sight.
If you have read my posts for any length of time, you know that I’m a ponderer. Things that happen in real, everyday life cause me to think about life lessons. You also know that I’m constantly seeking to learn something new and pass that learning on to others.
So, here’s my pondering on this latest adventure:
- Small things can result in significant impact. Seriously, the percentage of three-leaf vines was minuscule within the total vine-age (you also know I like to make up words). Mrs. Sweetie and I were discussing how this reminds us of the way the Bible describes the permeating power of yeast within dough and sometimes uses yeast as a metaphor for sin. Sometimes significant damage is done through seemingly insignificant acts. It was only a slight compromise … a bending of the truth … a cutting of a corner, but it turned into a big deal.
- Very rarely are remedies instantaneous. IAt the 10 day mark since contact, I’m still broken out and itching, though I have used sprays, creams, washes, oils, and steroids. It’s almost enough to make a Baptist go looking for tequila shots in a dance hall! (I said “almost.” I don’t need that rumor getting started!). Of course, it hasn’t kept me from doing anything … other than sleeping, cuddling with Mrs. Sweetie, wearing anything with sleeves … but I digress. That little thing that happened in a moment may take a long time for recovery. The good news where sin is concerned is that God’s forgiveness is immediate when we confess it to Him. The bad news is that sometimes the consequences of our choices linger for a while.
- Suffering can make us bitter or it can make us more compassionate. I was lying in bed one night praying for relief so I could sleep. In that moment, I realized that my suffering from this ailment really will be brief. In a few more days, I really am going to get better. But, there are some people who are in the middle of suffering for whom the end is so far that right now they can’t see it. That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t pray for relief, but it does mean that I have an opportunity to pray more intensely and be more compassionate toward all who struggle from any ailment (physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual).
So, while I am certainly not thankful for my three-leaf enemy, I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn more and be more on this amazing journey.
Be amazing today, my friend (and pay attention).
