W for Winter? No, W for Worship.

Usual day - I woke up late though, and yes I missed my Biology class (again). But then I need to go to school because I have a quiz to write for Biology tutorial. So I was on the train, staring outside as always, enjoying my favorite view (between Edmonds and 22nd Street), slightly smiling and sighing whenever I feel something good inside, when I thought of something that I have never thought of before.


If I recall correctly, I was listening to Parachute Band's "All the Earth" on my iPod at that time. ...hear the trees, joyful cry, praising You... . At that moment, when I looked at the trees one by one, I have seen something different. I said to myself, wow, look at the branches of those trees. They look like they are raising their little arms to praise their Creator. The sight of towering pine trees against the vastness of the sky never looked so majestic. ...hear the trees, joyful cry, praising You... . And I'm seeing it. It's amazing. They speak silently yet they worship with zeal, something that I have never seen before. What amazed me more is the sight of those smaller trees, and even those little bermuda grass sprouts. All day, all night, "hands and arms" raised up high! I can't even keep my hands raised for 30 minutes straight!







But the best thing I have seen all day is this. Yes, I did see the pine trees. Yes I did see those trees that still have their leaves on. Oh and yes, they look wonderful. But what about those that entirely lost their leaves earlier this fall season? I wonder what their story is. Winter is coming up... it's all part of the cycle... Yeah I know that. But when I clicked my brain's camera and developed the picture in my head, it's different.






Some would think it is a gloomy and sad picture. I thought of the same, but God made me see it differently. Yes it is nice to see these trees with all their splendor; it's great to enjoy looking at the different colors of the leaves during fall. But once those leaves are all gone and what is left to see are those dark, spooky-looking branches, do they still tell of a glorious message?


YES! I have realized that even though those leaves that bring splendor to their stature give glory to the Creator of all things, and when these trees lift their branches in worship, they tell of the beauty of the Lord, taking them all off brings greater focus on God. We see them for what they are and what they do, we clearly see their devotion in worship. Now, without those leaves, we clearly see their branches - their arms and hands - lifted up high in worship of the Great "I Am". They may be naked, but in their nakedness, their highest praise shows. Did they curse God for stripping them off their layer of "clothing"? They have been taking good care of their precious leaves during the rest of the other seasons and now they are being commanded to take them off? Ouch. But did they mutter complaints and annoyance? No, they kept their "hands" up high! ...we'll praise you in the spring, in the summer, in the fall, and in the winter Lord. We'll praise You all day, all night.


What an amazing way to illustrate how we Christians should be! When everything is stripped away, all that should be seen from us is our extravagant worship, because that's what we are created for. What are these extra things in life? They are like the wind that comes and goes. They aren't ours, even our lives aren't ours! We are but stewards of God's treasures. In the end, it's not going to be a matter of how much we give out of our abundance, but how much we give out of our nothingness.




Praise be to God forever and ever.



CREATED TO PRAISE. BORN TO WORSHIP THE ROCK OF SALVATION. ♥