If you've been reading my blog, you know that I've been on a journey to become a more healthy version of myself. My journey involves eating healthy foods (using the Daniel Plan book) and moving my body more (at least 10,000 steps per day.)
I left for my morning "prayer" walk (see my March 6 post here) at 6:30 a.m. this morning. (Side note: I'm thankful that we live in a safe neighborhood where I am able to walk by myself.) I try to get at least half of my daily steps done first thing so I make my way around the various gated communities in our neighborhood and usually end up finishing off my 5000+ plus steps in the park on the corner. It's well-shaded so that's a plus!
Close to the end of my walk I heard a the distinct noise of a woodpecker hard at work--I located him perched on one of the park's lamp poles pecking away at the metal casing that protects the light. My first thought--my goodness, little bird, there are trees all around you! Why are you wasting your time and your energy on something like that lamp?
And God said to me, "yes, that's exactly the question I have for you?
Why do I work so hard, wasting my time and energy hammering away at the things of the world? Why do I try to find satisfaction from things that don't have the capacity to feed me physically, let alone spiritually. Can't I see that there are trees all around me? Don't I realize that I was created for a purpose and perfectly equipped to walk/work according to this purpose?
Woodpeckers are well-suited for their tasks. Thanks to Wikipedia I now know a whole host of things about these birds. They have strong bills for drilling and drumming on trees and long sticky tongues for extracting food. The bill's chisel-like tip is kept sharp by the pecking action in birds that regularly use it on wood. Do you see that? When they use their bill for its intended purpose, it becomes an even more effective tool. It works the same for me . . . . when I live according to my purpose.
A. W. Toser said it this way: We can never know who or what we are till we know at least something of what God is." So what do we need to know about what God is? All of the answers are available to us in his Word. Dr. Kevin Meador provided the following list of God's characteristics which include: self-existent, infinite, incomprehensible, pre-eminent, sovereign, transcendent, majestic, omni-present, all-knowing and many more. You can find Dr. Meador's list and scripture references for each here.
And if those characteristics weren't enough, there is this: 1 John 4:8--He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
What's my purpose and upon what trees should I be hammering and drumming? Upon those trees that will manifest God's love and my earthly purpose which I find in Isaiah 43:7
Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.
I don't want to spend my time beating my head against the metal lamp casings of this world. I want to hammer and drum out my purpose on the trees God has planted for me.
Psalms 115:1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth.
What about you?
What about you?
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