On Saturday afternoon we were to meet some friends for dinner at a quaint little, out of the way, seafood restaurant in Little River, SC. Due to the fact that we are "cheap" and "old" we actually arrived pretty early so that we could take advantage of the "Early Bird Specials!" on the menu. BTW....if you are ever in the area, try the crab cakes at the Crab Catchers Lodge in Little River. You won't be sorry!
Since we arrived first, we were looking around at the fishing boats that were coming in and out of the docks there, and looking at the other weathered and worn artifacts that adorned the buildings, when I began looking at an old tree that stood nearby. I mentioned to Aaron, our son, that if this tree could talk, it could probably tell us alot of stories of both good and bad times that it had seen and experienced. We mentioned the heat.....the droughts....the people that had come that way.....AND, the storms.....especially the BIG ONE (Hugo)! I decided to shoot a little video of the tree. I just felt like there might be a story here somewhere!
As I continued videoing, I focused upon the marshy areas that surrounded the dock and the restaurant. It happened to be pretty close to high tide and the marsh was full. I began to think that those marshes soon would be facing a completely different set of circumstances, and it wouldn't be but just a few hours. In a little while, the water would begin to leave, and change the habitat for the "resident" creatures. They might have to swim to a new area, or burrow down into the muddy bottom, but the inevitable result would be change. Then, in a few hours, the changes all happen again. It made me think that our lives are alot like that. We may find ourselves in a situation in life that feels pretty good to us! We have what we need right here, we don't have to move, we can enjoy what we have.......our life's Tide is high and full!! Everything is Good!!
But, slowly, and without us even noticing sometimes, the "high tide" begins to go away. The fullness becomes less full.....maybe the emptiness becomes more empty. Suddenly we begin to mire down in the mud and muck of the circumstances of our lives. We see the "fullness" that we remember from the recent past, but we see that it is located far away from where we see ourselves. We might begin to think that "Everything is not Good now," and we are at Low Tide.
As I am writing this, and, I expect, as you are reading this, we both realize that we have been in both of those places in our lives. High Times and Low Times......Full Times and Empty Times. What is it that makes us able to enjoy and endure both of these kinds of times? I bet that "if only that tree could speak, it might would say... that some days when the sun is shining and the winds are light and the temperature is just right, and the rain is sufficient, that it is not too hard to be a strong and majestic tree. But, when The Big One shows up, the old tree needs the strength of its trunk and the depth of its roots to help it hold on and remain upright. Sure, it might lose alot of leaves, and even a few limbs. It might look a little bit worse for wear and have a few cracks in its bark, but it is still standing. It is ready for the next "Big One"....but it sure is glad that it is time for High Tide again soon!
Well, I thought that would be the end of the story for this blog post. But, as my dear wife always wants to do, there is one more walk on the beach before the sun sets. As we were crossing the dunes, and expecting to go look for that one special shell, we actually saw something more special than the shell would have been. We began to see a group of people down on the beach. A handsome young couple was going to use the beauty of God's creation beside the sea as their wedding chapel. All the guests were seated expectantly, all the ladies were adorned in their "wedding finest", the pastor stood at the front of the group waiting for the participants to make their way to him, and The Dog was the ringbearer and he had to trot up the sandy aisle to complete his portion of the ceremony (yes, that is correct).
I immediately knew that I had a blog post in the making, so I started doing a little videoing of the proceedings myself. The winds were really blowing, so forgive the less-than-steady video camera, but everything still was beautiful. I began to think of the couple. I had no idea who they were, but I began to think of the events that I had watched earlier in the evening. Maybe that couple had never faced the "Low Times" before. I don't know...but one thing that I do know is that if they live long enough, they will face them in the future. I looked around at the guests at the wedding. Probably some of them were parents and grandparents....maybe uncles and aunts...certainly friends. I hope that this couple has been blessed to be surrounded by people who are like that old tree in the video. Strong and resilient, maybe a little weathered, but still rooted firmly and deeply. I also hope that those people are willing to help this young couple through the storms that will surely face them. I also hope that the couple themselves are rooted firmly and deeply in their faith...a faith that will share mercy and grace with them in abundance.
Finally, I hope that you and I are such people. I hope that when people need us to be an anchor for them when "The Big One" comes in their lives, we can be found ready and willing. And, I know from experience, that I am thankful that other people have been that anchor for me and my family.
Remember: my motto is:
Building Up Houses
Building up Businesses
Building up Others
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