The View From My Windows

It changes daily, sometimes hourly, but it always stuns me with its beauty. It is my front room window. This is the morning where I caught the last of the fog laying on top of the water.

It was this view that caused us to place our home on this part of our land. We have many incredible spots with beautiful views but this was the one that grabbed our hearts.

I marvel each day as I search out the window for what the day may hold. It has not really helped me figure that out as life and weather change rapidly but it is soothing as I sit with my cup of tea and watch the day begin.

This picture was in the afternoon, I could see the rain falling on the other side of the lake, we did not get it. I have to tell you, this is not my weather window. This window predicts the weather for a system that rolls over “that way” and does not usually come in our direction at all.

My kitchen window is the “weather” window as this is the weather that usually rolls in over top of us.

Through my windows I can check the weather, the time of day, if it is dark or light, the general feel of the day. I know from the window if I need to put the chicken food inside or out or if I should wear a jacket or boots.

My windows reveal to me more than just a view, they are instrumental in my decision making process. They soothe me when I am anxious as l find looking out most peaceful and perhaps it is simply that the wall of glass feels protective.

That maybe very faulty reasoning because glass is so fragile. But is it? Our windows withstand wind, rain, snow and remain strong. Glass is a unique thing. It is made by melting sand, did you know sand melts? Mixing the melted sand with soda ash or limestone and cooling it quickly results in glass. It can form naturally in nature when hot lava cools quickly or when lightening hits the sand.

Glass has been found in ancient civilizations back to 3,000 bc. Glass is highly recyclable- it does not loose its purity, it can be recycled forever,

My day, sunrise to sunset is measured by my windows. It is not that way everywhere, in parts of the Middle East today and even in Biblical times the day begins the night before. Weird right?

Not really, it is more like what you know and are used to. This is why the Sabbath or the day of rest, celebrated in many countries and people groups today, starts at sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. A 24 hour period over what we see as 2 days. But in their culture, it is one day. Nightfall to nightfall equals one day.

Whereas I measure my day sunrise to set. Not wrong, just different.

Brian always wanted me to plant the “big” sunflowers. We planted some every year, we have had a few tall ones but not the huge ones he hoped for. This year, the sunflowers have not stopped growing, they are almost to the roof and they have covered up the weather window so it looks like a jungle right outside of it. I can stand at the kitchen sink and watch the bees flit from one to another flower.

When the wind comes I tell the sunflowers to “hold on”. I do have some string for support in front of the sunflowers but that wind whips those poor things. Because they are so up close to me at the window it can feel like I feel the thrashes of the wind. It can be an analogy for life.

Out of no where comes a blast of wind pushing you over with a force that you wonder if you will snap right in half. Life can do that.

I heard Dr. Charles Stone, pastor and author of “Stress-less” say the following in an interview: (my paraphrase because I cannot remember all of it, his concept)

“We need to be tennis balls. Picture that you have a table in front of you with a glass top. If I come up and lift a large rock 6 feet in the air over it, nothing happens. But if I drop the rock, the table top shatters. Gone forever into little pieces and shards.

If I come up to you with an egg and drop it from 6 feet, what happens? The egg breaks, plus a nice mess to clean up.

If I come with a tennis ball and hold it 6 feet above the table and drop it, what happens? It bounces.

We need to be more like a tennis ball so we can bounce and come back, not shatter and not recover.”

His books cover some great life info on how to practice this so in the world of life hits, we do not shatter. We all know life hits we simply do not know when or where or how strong.

Have you ever tried to pull out a sunflower? Those babies got some roots on them, they are usually solidly in the ground. If they are not, they die.

As you gaze out your window today, ask yourself a couple questions. Are you a glass table top that just might shatter with a life blow? Are you more like the rock, heavy with burdens you are not supposed to be carrying? More like the egg, fragile and handle with care so you don’t break. Or are you a tennis ball with the ability to bounce with a hit. Oh it may bounce and take off going in a few directions, but it bounces and stays intact.

God tells us repeatedly to let Him carry our burdens and worries. (Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7) He will take the hit with us, you do not have to do it alone. Ever. This is reassuring in our storms. (2 Corinthians 4:8).

How are your roots? Solidly planted or wiggling loosely in the soil. The Bible has so many images taken from nature and the garden. Jesus says He is the gardener, we are the vine. He has the deep roots we need to be able to sway in the wind and not break. He is our source for nourishment through the vine.

I have had sunflower casualties, I see them from my window, lack of water (nourishment), too much wind dries them out. It is a constant reminder to me looking out the weather window through the sunflowers, to take some time for me to foster my God relationship so I can ensure I am deeply planted.