Every Direction

19 July 2004
Every Direction
 
The day was an early summer special.  Bright sun streaks wormed their way through the scattered clouds.  Everything was dressed in bright colors; intense greens offset by the red poinsettia hedge and the pink bottle brush tree.  Flowers, vegetables in blossom, and an avocado tree loaded with fruit gave the scene a surreal feel however it was the wild abandoned of the kids at play that made the scene special.  Kids across the spectrum joined in a wonderful harmony, seemingly lost in the joy of just being kids.
 
The game of choice was softball.  Action exploded as if running to a hidden script; folding into each movement with unbridled enthusiasm that nobody knew how to predict.  I remember that it was the bottom of the fifth inning.  There was a line shot that headed strait for the hedge.  Sacrificing everything I dove in full stretch.  First my hands, then the arm, then my face penetrated the hedge.  The scrapes were a minor price to pay to eliminate the chance an extra base.  Memories recall the scene in slow motion.
 
The reality includes the scrapping of the freshly trimmed hedge against my skin.  By the time my face reached the surface of the hedge there was a growing space for the rest of my body to follow.  The bad news, in the midst of beauty of the moment, was the bee hive that has lived up to this moment in quiet harmony with its surroundings.  The first strike was a resounding call to action for the bees as hand.  Kamikaze strikes accelerated with each passing moment!  The scene fades with cries and screams of pain.
 
Metaphorically this is a day in your life and mine.  Just think about the reaction to Divinity’s love and compassion.  The blunt assessment stands as a warning to us today.  “The world has nothing against you, but it's up in arms against me.  It's against me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions.”  (John 7.7) 
 
Watch out; pursue love, mercy, and acceptance?  Evil will line you up in its sights.