I adore acorns. They litter the paths I walk and my toe cannot resist tapping these perfect packages of beauty and power to send them bouncing joyfully in all directions. The life inside an acorn is packed tightly, ready to explode into greatness. As is true of all nuts and seeds, acorns hold the promise of something grand, fruitful and essential to life. God’s word is like a seed that when it is planted in me, blooms into something special.

In the Bible, “word” can mean different things. Jesus is the Word:  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14.

God may speak a word to a person, for example, a prophet, as in Jeremiah 1:4-5: The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

In Matthew 13:23, Jesus compared the written word of God to a seed that will change everyone in whom it unfolds. “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”  God’s word brings forth good things.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them. And delivered them from their destructions. Psalm 107:19-20

Winter was very cold and long this year. There were two or three nor’easters and plenty of ice and snow. In the midst of it, I came down with bronchitis and spent almost two weeks on the couch.

I never missed a day at the park though, even the day a nor’easter and the bronchitis hit at once. I laid there staring, remote in my hand, lemon tea within reach, trying to gather strength, wondering if it was even possible. Eventually I would dress, grab my umbrella and move slowly to the car. I made no other demands of myself other than to show up and acknowledge God.

One might think a barren park, a cold, windy rain, a sick, weak body and a hacking cough would be enough to dull the glow of God’s presence, but He was there glowing. He was mingling with the foraging deer and immense, bare trees. I heard Him in the echo of a goose, calling the others across the pond . Even in my weakness, in the winter’s desolation, the presence and power of God was made clear.

Storms and plagues, the bleakness of winter, even in these things He continually renews. I would be well again, the spring foliage would crowd the trees, there’d soon be goose eggs along the banks. Nothing had changed, all was sustained and held, preserved and enfolded in the love and greatness that is God.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

One beautiful thing about the seasons is their constant flow through my life, from beginning to end, over and over again. When I surrender to the inevitable process, I can gratefully observe the miracle, gather the gifts, and endure the discomforts.  As they come, as they go.

I am a descendant of farmers. I saw my grandfather plow under the remains of summer, preparing for fall. I played hide and seek in his winter rye and watched him plow it under to prepare for spring.  I understand cultivation.

Perhaps it is no coincidence the word “harrowing” means both “plowing” and “a disturbing experience.” When God plows His way through my life, it can be agonizing, but I have seen, over and over again, it lead to a blessing, fruit that only God could produce.

I taste that fruit. I pause and give thanks for God’s cultivation. The yield is sweet and quenching and it is always exactly what I need, when I need it. I am nourished and satiated and prepared. There will be more plowing and planting, more weeds to harrow and remnants to remove. I may groan and weep but I am certain of the seedlings and buds that come in the spring.

Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed? Does he continually turn and harrow the ground? Isaiah 28:24

In the Bible, there are answers to many important questions. In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes I can find the way to wisdom. In Job I can learn the way to be faithful in my suffering. In Exodus I read the Ten Commandments, outlining the way to obedience. In the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, I meet Jesus, the way to eternal life.

I have always assumed that Adam and Eve were thrown out of the garden of Eden as a punishment, but I see now that God was caring for them. They ate from the tree of knowledge, the one tree they were told to avoid, and fell into a sinful state for their disobedience.  God made them leave the garden lest they then eat from the tree of life and live forever hopeless and estranged from Him.  They were removed from the garden lest they, in effect, gain the power to save their lives but not their souls.  God loved them and wanted to show them the way back to Him.  So He drove out the man, and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.  Genesis 3:23-24

God protected the way to the tree of life because He would provide the way through Jesus Christ, His Son. How can those who are lost find their own way home? I look to God and He shows me the way. Jesus is the way.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.  John 14:6

I know that God cares for me. Do I live like He holds me in His hands every moment? He cares for me every moment. He knows each one is important for me to spend with Him. Why? So He can show me how precious I am to Him, so I will desire Him more and more, so He can bless those moments, so I will be with Him eternally.

Psalm 139 says that God looks over my path, that He knows and understands me. When I was a child, there were family members looking over my path, my parents and grandparents. I loved them, I was dependent on them. The more they showed their love for me and their beautiful care for me, the more I longed to walk along with them. Parents care and love forever, and so does God.  God loves me more than anyone ever could. His care for me is perfect. His paths are good to follow and I know He walks them with me.

Sometimes as I walked in the park, I had a notion to turn around or veer off in another direction. Since I had no other aim but to be with Him, I was free to flow with His nudges at any moment. I might take a wooded path or wander over to watch the ducks preening their feathers or read the plaques on trees planted in memorial on Butterfly Trail.  Each time I listened and followed, I was blessed by a gift of His creation. Imagine the blessings He will provide in every moment of my life when I follow Him.

O Lord, You have looked through me and have known me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You understand my thoughts from far away. You look over my path and my lying down. You know all my ways very well.   Psalm 139:1-3