Make a Space.

On the occasion of the one year anniversary of this little blog here in the Middle,
With great respect for making a space and then filling it with something,
And because sometimes you're just out walking the puppy and something hits you so hard you stand there awestruck for several minutes...

It's growing in the neighbor's yard and it's one of the most clear representations of faith that I have ever seen.

It's almost ridiculous.  A tiny plant here in the middle of this vast sea of grass.  I wouldn't even call it a tree yet, but that's where the beauty of this whole thing begins to unfurl.  He, the confident neighbor who nudged away the tiny piece of earth to place this tiny bit of potential, knows it's a tree.  He saw a space that needed to be filled and put a tree in it.  Tucked it in with mulch and watered it like it was already something, not that it might someday be something.  With care, it will certainly grow into something more, but even at it's tiny beginning, he knows it's a tree.

Impossibly over-sized is the stake that's driven into the ground alongside this tree as a sturdy warning to the distracted teen with the mower, "There's a tree here!  Be careful!  Don't run it over.  You are powerful and this tree is tiny, but it's worth saving."  That warning stake will someday lend support when the wind blows hard.  There are always things to be weathered, especially here in the Middle.

Confident was he that planted it, that the twigs that can barely support the weight of a single leaf could someday support the weight of other beings.

Make a space.  Plant something with potential.  Nurture it.  Give it the support it needs.  Raise a sturdy flag and tell people it's there, even if they don't see it yet.  And the tiny branches that are so fragile now may someday extend far enough to give you the shelter you crave and the support you need.

That's faith.







Happy Anniversary to Me!