The Common Law Of Life

The Common Law Of Life…

We were sitting under an old oak tree one sunny afternoon when Grandfather started talking. You heard the saying: As the twig is bent so grows the tree… Well back in the mid 1800’s Douglas Mollock wrote a poem called Good Timber. Though it talks mostly about trees, it is also a very good lesson for man.

The tree that never had to fight
     For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
     And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
     But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
     To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
     Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
     But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease,
     The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
     The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
     In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth
     We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
     Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
     This is the common law of life.

We, as Christians, need to realize our life is only as strong as the wind that blows. Meaning our willingness to be flexible and listen to the thoughts of others with respect and share ours with them without demeaning will determine just how strong our values are.

We are the Church, God resides in our hearts. Our root system is firmly planted in the Bible. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we approach people with a my way or the highway attitude all we will do is turn them away. Our light is to be the guide to lead others to God, not to turn them away.

One asks why are so many people turning away from the Church and God? The answer just may be how we share or fail to share His light and blessings. Remember we just may be the only Bible some ever see so we best shine our lights brightly. Like the tree, we are only as strong as we flex. It’s something to think about.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed