The Grass Under Our Feet

The other day I took my kids to the park and had one of those rare moments of freedom and clarity that comes from taking in nature in the tiniest detail. Lying on my stomach, feeling the grass prickle my arms, I was delighted by the cool relief the green carpet offered from the sun. I wasn’t afraid of insects, just comforted by the fact that I was, essentially, prostrating myself before God in the middle of a park, enjoying the complete thrill of God’s creation in the summer sun.

It was then that I noticed the grass in detail. Every blade was different – different to the point that when the wind blew, only some of the blades moved. Only a few blades caught the wind, bending in a romantic dip with the invisible force and springing back up to be bent again as the dance continued. A few other blades shuddered for a second under the wind, but resumed their stock-still stance, unrelenting under a greater force. The majority of the grass was unmoved. Staunch. Resilient.

My mind cleared and perhaps God whispered in my ear, “Be a dancing blade of grass. Let my breath move you.”

I looked at my life, from my youth to today as I’m approaching 40. The years I spent resisting God led me to ruin: to deny who I was, to ignore the purpose and meaning of life. For months now, I have come to realize that I am quickly becoming one of “them” – those people who call on the Lord’s name in utter joy during moments when the rest of the world is happily living in ignorance (and when I’m around, slight irritation that I keep commenting on God’s wonders!) Call me a Christian, a devout Catholic, a bible thumper, soap-box preacher, born-again…it’s all true. My joy comes from the breath of God that waves over this earth and catches me as I lean toward him. Some folks find refuge in Him for a moment, but fear being called names, like 'do-gooder' or a 'Christian on a mission', and are quick to resume their own means of living and resist God’s love. Other ignore Him altogether and miss the great beauty of a life of love, knowledge, and wisdom.

All that from two minutes of quiet time! When God wants to speak, He certainly will. If we would give Him just a few minutes of our time each day, He will lead us – even to the point of speaking to us through the grass under our feet!