The other morning crossing the Meadowlands swamp area on the train, I was reading Psalm 24. "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it. The world, and those who live in it; he he has founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers."
At that point I looked out and saw a small hill rise out of the water. It was "landfill", a politically correct term for garbage. We were crossing the Passaic River... certainly not the river the Psalmist was talking about. I remember not long ago when this area used to catch fire, and you generally prayed that the wind was not blowing your direction. The fires, the smell, the garbage, scavenger sea gulls... it was truly an ugly place.
And when we create a mental image of a place (or person), we tend to hold onto it even when the reality changes. I still assumed this was an ugly place.
I looked out the train window and to my surprise, the horse chestnuts were blooming, several swan swimming across a pond, a muskrat swimming along side of the railroad tracks, a large piece of driftwood with at least 8 turtles sunning themselves, two egrets, a great white heron, and the entire hillside was lush green.
Some powerful lessons here:
- It is amazing what God can do with a garbage dump.
- God brings beauty out of the ugly.
- No situation (or person) need remain the way they have always been.
- I need to change my perception to open my eyes to reality.
After all we see what we look for, not what is there. This is no longer a garbage dump, it is becoming a bird sanctuary. "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it." |