The Society of Bent Timber
Make allowances for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Colossians 3:13
Reading the writings of Max Lucado (How Happiness Happens) is like sitting on the deck with a cup of coffee and chatting. His imagery is powerful and his message is clear.
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One of my favorite places on earth is a grove that sits on the Guadalupe River only minutes from my house. It’s a peaceful place. Bass swim among the rocks. And trees, oh, the trees. Cypresses line the river’s edge. Mesquite and Texas live oaks cluster in the draw. They weather the winters and celebrate the summers.
And they are all bent. There’s not a straight trunk among them. Even so, they provide the perfect place to find peace. Fishermen doze in their shade. Birds build nests on their branches.
Humanity is like that grove of trees. Though we attempt to stand tall, none of us succeed. We twist and turn and have our gnarly bark. We are a collection of bent timber. And that’s okay. There is beauty in our bentness.
So, enjoy the Society of the Bent Timber. Cut people some slack. Ease up. Reduce your number of peeves, and be patient with the people who pet them. The world, for all it’s quirky people, is a wonderful place to live. The sooner we can find the beauty, the happier we will be.
Loving Lord, thank You for our imperfections that can remind us to accept others. Help us to stop trying to “straighten up” when it never was in Your plan in the first place. Please give us the ability to find all the beauty around us. AMEN.