God smile at me to wake me up with the flickering of sunrays through my bedroom’s thin beige blinds, I told God thank you for waking me up this morning and keeping our family from danger during the night. I crawl out of the bed to pray the Lord’s Prayer as I end my prayer with “Lord, give me eyes to see, Lord, give me ears to hear, and give me a mind of obedience and let my heart and mind be on one accord, as you order my steps on today.”
I pull up the thin beige blinds to look out of the window. I marvel to see the choir birds chirping to sing God’s praise. I see a second set of birds dancing joy by their wings as they fly back and forth from tree to tree; while the squirrels running around enjoying another day of grace and mercy. Then, I marvel at the trees beautiful green leaves clapping in the breeze to give God praise too. Then, I remember the verse in St. Luke 19:40: “And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
I thought to myself, would I allow the stones to beat me in praising God – I think not. I will not allow the stones to cry out for me, so I turn-on my lab top to play my Gospel music. I washed up and put on my sweats and athletic shoes in preparation for my 7:00 a.m. morning walk through the park’s lakeshore. I can praise God the more when I walk and continuing to enjoy nature praising God.
As I walk four blocks of urban streets, I continue to see other choir birds chirping, and other birds dancing with their flying wings in the air, and squirrels running around in excitement for grace and mercy. Oh, I cannot forget about the clapping of beautiful green leaves – all giving God praise without the beating of church drums or sliding organ keys. The peaceful living nature gives high praise to an Awesome God.
While the peaceful living nature automatically praises God for another day, I see the other side of nature created – God’s first love to honor and worship Him in high praise. I see the humankind. Yes, the humankind created to give God praise and glory. I see the rushing of young mothers struggling with baby strollers and crying toddlers. I see and hear the honking horns from cars to impatient and uncompassionate to wait until the young mothers and toddlers safely cross the street. I hear loud unkind rap lyrics coming from cars of booming sonic bass waves bouncing from cars to apartment windows.
I quickly need to reach the park. I quickly need to escape into the peace of God praises through nature. Oh, I arrive finally. This time, I decide to go the beach shore where only the humankind jog laps from one side of the beach shore to the other side of the beach shore. I stop and sit under the tree. I watch nature once again, and I sing praises in my heart to God trying to escape the awe of working an eight-hour shift for an unappreciated supervisor.
Suddenly, I hear weeping. I look all around me trying to figure out where is the weeping coming from when a beautiful green leaf falls upon me. I look up to the tree when another beautiful green leaf falls upon me and then another. What is going on? Why are the leaves falling, for the breezes were soft against my face. Then, I hear weeping again. Okay, I must be losing it. How can I hear weeping from a tree and why are these beautiful green leaves falling?
Therefore, I look into the tree. I did not see the clapping of beautiful green leaves. The tree did not seem to move in a natural praise. I stood up and I walk a few steps away from the tree, as I wonder why this particular tree’s leaves was not praising God as the other trees on the beach shore. What is missing? Why does not this tree have peace? I look at the full 24 foot standing tree from the few steps where I stood.
I walk closer to the tree again. I look around the tree, and I see the back of the tree’s root was bulking through a concrete ground. The side of the tree where I sat is soft green grass, but the back of tree; the roots have spread to the concrete surrounding the back of the tree. The tree has outgrown its place.
I was really losing it, for the tree spoke and said, “There is no more ground for me to praise my God. I cannot break free from the ground under me. Please help me the tree said.”
I had to get it together, for I am truly losing my mind, for I am hearing things. In fear, I tremble to scare to run away from the tree speaking to me. How can a tree talk? Furthermore, why would a tree talk to me? Again, the tree wept and said to me. “There is no room for me to praise my God. I cannot break free from the concrete ground under me. Please help me the tree said.”
In fear, I stood back from the tree speaking to me and look up into the clear blue sky. I said to the tree, what could I do to set you free from the concrete ground under you? The tree said to me “break away the concrete. The concrete is binding me and my roots cannot be free to praise my God.”
Fear was no longer present, for I stop looking at the situation to see the need of emergency even though it was a tree. The tree is a part of the peaceful nature that automatically gives God praise.
I said to the tree. “How am I to break away the concrete ground, I have no tools with me.” The tree said to me “look over there.” Where, I said to the tree and the tree said there. I said where you want me to look to set you free from the concrete ground that is binding your roots” The tree began to weep again. “Please free me from the concrete ground that is binding my roots to be free. Therefore, I look again, and I look again to see a pile of stack stones. A larger stone appear to weigh about five pounds within the stack stones.
I bend over to lift up the five-pound large stone, I took the large stone and walk over to the back of the tree’s roots, and I smash the large stone against the concrete ground to break the tree’s roots free. Immediately the concrete ground crumbled into pieces. I had a full gallon of water that I use as a weight and when I become thirsty. I pour the gallon of water to moisten the tree’s roots and the water saturated the ground.
I stood back once again. I see the tree’s beautiful green leaves clapping in the breeze. Once again, the tree is a part of the peaceful nature that gives God praise each day. I wonder what it is like to be a tree. A tree of a peaceful nature with beautiful green leaves. Beautiful green leaves that clap in the breeze automatically giving God praise each day.
For, I am of the humankind, specially created by God to give God special praise. Yet, God gives unto each of us a personal choice to be so grateful to Him. I do not know about you, but I would rather be a part of the peaceful nature automatically giving God praise each day than a tree root, not free, but bound by the humankind concrete grounds of society.
I yearn for the day that this humankind can automatically give God praise each day.