Children and Sheep and Lilies

I started reading a new book this morning, A.W. Tozer's The Warfare of the Spirit (for those of you who know Pastor Matthew at Waypoint, he talks about this man often). The book is a compilation of essays/editorials originally published in a magazine.

I was struck this morning by the following passage:
"Christ likened His followers to children and sheep and pointed to birds and lilies as having valuable lesson for us. These four little creatures differ widely from each other, but have one thing in common: their complete freedom from worry. They live spontaneously, simply, without strain, and God takes care of them."

Since arriving back from our amazing month-long vacation, I've tried to take time to think introspectively about our trip. I don't just want it to be a month of great memories and hundreds of pictures. It is that, of course, but I want it to be more. I want to think about what God taught me on vacation, what He was telling me. This passage caused me to reflect on what I learned about children and sheep (or cattle) and lilies (or other flowers) on vacation.

First, children. We spent much of our time in Germany with Scott's brother's two kids, Aiden and Emma (ages 12 and 10). These kids are troopers, let me tell you, because they visited museums, walked for miles on end, complained little about the lack of bathrooms or meals several hours later than usual. I loved to observe what they enjoyed most about the famous places we were visiting. In Strasborg, France, a beautiful old city in the heart of French wine country, Emma could have spent the entire evening watching the muskrat family we found living in a hole in the wall in the side of the canal. In Colmar, France, she would've fed her entire piece of bagette to the pigeons crowding around our park bench. At the Louve, she was able to pick out the smallest details in the gigantic (and by gigantic I mean as big as my living room wall) painting The Feast at Canna; I didn't notice the little dog that she talked about. She didn't care if we didn't make it to every single three-star sight that Rick Steve's mentioned in our travel guide (which was our "Bible" for the trip). She simply enjoyed each place for what it offered her at the moment. Give her an ice cream cone and a bottle of Orangina (her favorite French soda) and she was a happy girl.

Now, sheep. We didn't see many sheep on our trip, I will admit, but we did see lots of seemingly happy cows. Our favorite spot of the whole vacation was Garmisch, a small town in southern Germany that bordered the Alps. It was a beautifully serene place with lots of fields and pastures, walking trails and small herds of cattle. The cattle (as I've mentioned in another post) all wore bells that jingled as they munched their way through the day. I've grown up around cattle, and I know that they don't seem to worry about much. As long as they have grass to eat, water to drink, and a good place to lay at night, they think life is grand. Do I have such an attitude?

Finally, lilies. We saw many beautiful flowers on vacation. Some in manicured gardens at castles and palaces, but others growing wild in the ditch along the road. On our drive back from the east coast, I was amazed by the large patches of Blackeyed Susans on the roadside. Nobody planted them or cares for them, yet there they are. I, on the other hand, planted two Blackeyed Susans last year, but neither returned to my flower garden (even though they are suppose to be perennials). I am, however, happy to report that the lilies on the side of my yard are blooming for the first time in years!

Besides flowers, we saw many beautiful parts of creation on vacation. Scott and I would both say that we wish we would've spent more time hiking, biking, or doing other things in the country. While we loved the famous places and sights we visited, some of our favorites moments were in outdoors spots: the hills and river outside Neuschwanstein castle. The lakes we stopped by in Austria. The vineyards along the Rhine and Route de Vin. The wooded forests of West Virginia and the Grandview lookout point. The rolling pastures of Kentucky and the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. The Atlantic Ocean. I learned that vacation doesn't have to be a completed to-do list of places to see. The best parts are beauty enjoyed with people you care about.

My hope is that I as I get back into the swing of "normal" life (reading books for school, planning units and lessons, washing laundry, taking care of the yard), I don't lose sight of these vacation lessons. God, help me to see the world through the eyes of children, sheep, and lilies.