Landscapes

Even though I don’t tend to use fresh phrases when I write or speak, they delight me. Therefore, I felt intrigued when I discovered one (“the landscape of life”) someone else had written.

Although I hadn't thought about associating the word landscape with life, I suddenly saw the connection. 

Physical Landscapes

Some of the features in a physical landscape are natural—boulders, mountains, bodies of water, cliffs, etc. Others are added by humans. For example, property owners create whatever “look” pleases them (or they can choose to do nothing).

Case in point: when my husband and I vacationed in Arizona several years ago, we noticed striking differences between the green lawns that were as irrigated and well-tended as golf courses and those that were left in their natural desert-like state. The contrast was even more evident when the lawns were adjacent to each other. Each “look” was beautiful and reflected the preferences of the owners.

Life Landscapes

I suppose some folks, when asked to describe the “landscape of their lives,” might use a fresh phrase such as: 

• “My life looks as barren as the desert.” 
• “My life is as bleak as the Arctic in winter.” 
• “My life is as interesting as the rainforest.” 
• “My life is as lush as an island paradise.” 

Whatever the landscape of our life looks like, we can choose to leave it like it is or enhance it, even if we can’t completely change it. How?

There are some things we could do. 

1. Take a close look at what our life currently looks like.
2. Dream a little about what we’d like it to look like.
3. Calculate the cost involved in changing it. Do we want to invest that much? Will the ROI (Return on Investment) be worth it? 
4. If so, then set to work making the changes we envision. 
5. Enjoy the results of our hard work.

But... the BEST PLAN is to ask God to transform the landscape of our lives. After all, He is the one who can do far more than we can imagine (Ephesians 3:20), even turn wildernesses into gardens (Isaiah 51:3).

Photo by Johnnie Ann Gaskill.

Stepping-Stones

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting a gentle and godly man who lived in a small house flanked by a beautiful garden. An array of plants thrived under his tender care and bloomed profusely, delighting him and those who visited.

His garden was long and narrow, like his one-room-wide house. One side bordered his house, the other the property line. A series of stepping-stones separated the two sections and led visitors to his backyard where he grew vegetables--and more flowers. 

I thought about those stepping-stones recently when I read a devotional in Amy Carmichael's book, Thou Givest...They Gather. Amy says that God has given us abilities and resources (including time and the Bible) that we will use to "build ere work be done, a stumbling block or a stepping-stone" (p.141). 

She says that with every thought, word, and deed, we create either a stepping-stone (that will help others find their way heavenward) or a stumbling block (that will hinder them on their spiritual journey.)

I learned that the man who had placed the stepping-stones in his garden was also laying spiritual stepping-stones (lots of them!) for others. For example, when the children in the neighborhood gravitated to his home, he provided snacks for them. He let them help him care for the plants. As they worked together, he taught them about life and about the Lord.  

Oh, may we build lots of stepping-stones for others, as that good man did!