I admire objects made of beautifully-grained wood. I like to look at them, I like to touch them. There is something warm and alive about wood that doesn't exist in other materials: plastics, ceramics, and even precious metals. Sometime in my elementary school education, my science text explained that one can determine a tree's age by the number of growth rings. A wider, light-colored area encircles each thin dark area. The lighter section shows growth that occurred during the summer months when the sap flowed freely in the tree and growth was rapid. The darker layer shows the slower growth that occurred during the cold of winter when the sap had descended to the lower part of the tree. Together, the two represent a year's growth. Now many seasons later, I understand that the lovely grain I prize on wooden pieces is nothing more than the inner and outer portions of those growth rings, revealed when lumber is cut from the tree's trunk. Depending on the location and angle of the "slice," different grain is obtained.
I am realizing that if I want the end result of my life to be an object of grace and beauty, I must grow during good seasons and difficult. I am laying down a new "ring" every year. I don't know yet all that God will make of me, but I want it to be something He can admire!
"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time." (Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV)
MaryMartha
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Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
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