Apr
1
2012
Road Trip Oasis
Posted in Worship 2 Comments
We all have places we visit when we need to rejuvenate…to quiet our souls.
One of my favorite places is Lancaster County.
Being a Pennsylvanian all my life, Amish country is just a short car ride away.
Driving on the country roads, seeing the farmland, cornfields with perfect borders, old barns, cows, colorful clotheslines…all of this provides rest for my soul.
I took one such trip today with my youngest daughter.
Since she has her driver’s permit, and can obtain her license in about a month, I had the luxury of being driven, which gave me opportunity to see things I would have missed had I been behind the wheel.
Inevitably, on these country roads, you will pass an Amish buggy.
Black, polished, proper…
All have bright orange triangles on the back so they are visible to cars.
Each is pulled by a beautiful horse, amazingly accustomed to the traffic that rushes by.
There are usually “buggy lanes” on the right side of the road, wide enough, in most places for the buggy to travel safely.
On the narrow stretches of road, where the buggy is right in front of you, cars are allowed to pass.
On one such narrow stretch, we had to pass a buggy.
We were behind the family for a while.
We had to wait until it was safe to get around them.
That is when he saw us.
A little boy, in the back of the buggy, wearing a straw hat, black trousers with suspenders, and a bright blue shirt, with no buttons of course. He was in the back of the buggy while his parents rode in the front. They looked very serious as they drove along, knowing all too well the intrusion of the constant stares.
I wanted to tell them…I’m not staring…I live here, too.
Your simple way of life resonates with my heart.
As we passed, the little boy waved continuously through the small window that fastens in place on the back of the buggy. Usually, the Amish children will look straight ahead, but this little one did not act with the expected propriety.
He waved with innocent abandon.
That wave touched my heart.
As we drove a bit further, I noticed a girl, dressed in a typical Amish dress, black stockings, black shoes, scarf tied below her chin to keep it on her head.
She was under a large tree, looking up into its branches.
We have had an early spring, so most of the trees are just beginning to bud.
I was glad that the tree was not in full leaf, since the small spring buds allowed me to see.
Up in the tree, I saw three boys, each one on a higher branch than the other.
I imagined that they were her brothers…oldest at the top, middle in the center of the tree, and the youngest closer to the bottom.
I wondered if she wanted to climb the tree as well.
Perhaps her dress may have hindered her climb.
Perhaps only Amish boys climb trees.
Seeing their climbing prowess, I thought of Zacchaeus.
Wealthy Zacchaeus, chief tax collector, wanted to see Jesus.
Since he was short, he could not see him, because of the crowd.
So, with reckless abandon, he climbed a sycamore tree, so he could see Jesus, who was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him,
Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.
So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly. (Luke 19: 1-10)
Zacchaeus, who laid propriety aside and with reckless abandon, climbed a tree.
Not just any tree.
Not just any climb.
He wanted to see Jesus.
When have I wanted to see Jesus that badly?
Have I ever worshiped Him with reckless abandon?
Do I lay expected propriety aside so that I may see Him clearly and not be held back by the crowd?
When was the last time I reached out, with even the smallest gesture, and touched someone’s heart?
I learned from those children today.
Am I like the boy in the back of the buggy, and the boys in the branches of the tree, or am I like the little girl, safely standing at the bottom of the tree in my comfort zone?
The crowd, the expectations, the status quo, keep us from abandoning ourselves to Him.
May we, like King David, who danced before the Lord as the ark was brought back to Jerusalem, say
I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. (2 Samuel 16: 21, 22)
Gina, the perfect message before I head off to church to worship with reckless abandon. Thanks for the reminder to step outside our comfort zone as the Lord beckons and climb a few trees. Love and Hugs
Diane,
All the years…and all the miles…we can still connect…”sister to sister”, and help each other press on in Him.
Gina