Date: August 30th 2010

REFLECTIONS BY THE POND
August 30, 2010


It took one mouse no time at all to realize he had found a good
thing in the cozy stud space of our new barn.

SAFE TO THE ROCK

This autumn we are having our house re-sided and new windows
installed. In preparation for the anticipated salvage from that
project, Linda and I (being frugal packrats at heart) recently
cleaned out the loft in our small barn to make room for stacks of
old, but still usable wood trim that will soon be removed from
the house.

The barn my father-in-law and I constructed (with able help, of
course, from Linda and her mom) is now thirteen years
old--sufficient time for the loft to become a tangled heap of
this and that and the next thing, much of which was tossed up
there from below, with little thought given to order or neatness.

Not surprisingly, the removal of said melange was not unlike
prying open the lid of the mythical Pandora's Box. One never
really knew what unpleasant surprise awaited when turning over
the detritus of the last thirteen years. Swarms of black ants had
nested between sheets of stacked paneling and sheets of plywood,
and mouse nests were discovered in boxes, rolls of old carpet
remnants, and nooks and crannies of any description.

Being situated hard against our stand of timber, the barn's loft
had become refuge and indoor potty for all manner of beast--an
occupation which had started well before the barn was even
completed.
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On the day we built the loft I was up in the rafters arranging
and laying down the sheets that would become its floor. Once they
were ready to be nailed into place, I discovered a heaping mound
of twigs wedged into the space at the top of the back wall.
Thinking it to be a pre-occupation bird's nest, I was surprised
when something moved within the pile. Soon, with a little
prodding, a rather substantial mouse emerged and scurried out of
his snug home.

Wishing to discourage his permanent residence in my brand new
barn, I removed all the twigs and thatch and tossed them outside,
nonetheless marveling at the rodent's bright industry in securing
such a cozy spot well in advance of winter. Out of nowhere a
building was raised up in his woods, so the mouse seized the
opportunity for shelter. If permitted to stay, he would have met
the cold winter months secure under a solid, well-shingled roof.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.
For in the day of trouble
He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
Psalms 27:4-5

That mouse, the loft's inaugural resident, knew, whether by
instinct or experience, that the approaching winter would be far
more pleasant when snuggled in a barn, than huddled shivering
beneath a cold, damp tree stump. Within that shelter he and his
family would remain not only warmed, but high, dry, and safe from
the myriad predators who would like to have them for lunch.

Oh that we would have the simple wisdom of the beasts. Man has a
bad habit of expending great effort searching for shelter in all
the wrong places.

Some seek shelter perched atop a bar stool. Some look for it in
the arms of someone other than their own spouse. Still others
seek it in drugs or fanciful "new age" twaddle.

All the while, however, our true security lies within the arms of
the Savior, where He--better than any other--is equipped to meet
head-on anything that might bring us harm.

When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within,
Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
With Your counsel You will guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Psalms 73:21-26
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O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;
Thou blest "Rock of Ages," I'm hiding in Thee.

In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow's lone hour,
In times when temptation casts o'er me its power;
In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
Thou blest "Rock of Ages," I'm hiding in Thee.

How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.

Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest "Rock of Ages,"
I'm hiding in Thee.
William O. Cushing


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Copyright 2010, David S. Lampel. All rights reserved.
Reflections: #0462
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the
New American Standard Bible (Updated Edition).
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