Like A Leaf (Joe Widick)

We continue with more terrific thoughts from Joe Widick of Lebanon, Tennessee. Thanks for your continued prayers on my behalf while in Vietnam!


A week ago Saturday, Elaine and I kept two of our grandchildren, Faith and John Derrick. While John Derrick was taking a nap, Faith was outside playing. She decided to climb up into one of our trees. After climbing down, she proudly came running to me and said “Granddaddy, I climbed your tree and while I was up there, I felt like a leaf.” I wonder sometimes if I have forgotten some of the real joys in life. I am amazed that so many simple pleasures are overlooked because of hectic schedules. Do I find myself forgetting that out of some of the simplest statements, I can be reminded that there is a wonderful, powerful creator, who is looking down at me.
I wonder what it feels like to be a leaf, to have the warm sunshine light up your day. I wonder about how it feels to have the rain come and wash away the dirt and grime of the day before. What does it feel like to stay outside all day experiencing the cool crisp air of the day? What is it like to be covered with a blanket of stars each night or to hold on tightly to the vine where you get your daily nourishment? To realize that one day you will let go of that vine/branch and fall to the ground.


The religious leaders were wrong about Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:15-16). They couldn’t have been more off-base if they had tried. True, they knew a lot of theology, but they were wrong about who Jesus was. The children, however, were right. They were the ones in the temple who shouted, “Hosanna to the son of David!” They believed that the person riding that unbroken colt was the promised Son of David. It was the children who responded with wholehearted joy, even though they may not have fully understood Jesus’ mission to redeem mankind.


Children can teach us a vital lesson about faith. In their openness and innocence, it’s easy for them to trust the One whose pure character touches a responsive chord in their tender hearts. As adults, we think we know so much. We try to be so mature, so correct, and so religious. I wonder if we would even recognize the Savior if He walked among us, working the kind of miracles He performed long ago.
On a beautiful fall day, a granddaughter taught her grandfather a lesson, a lesson about not overlooking some of lives most simple yet most precious moments. Thank you Faith! I wonder what it is like to be a leaf?


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com