Opus 2025-516: Not a Mighty Oak

As I was thinking about God‘s blessings, I was searching for something new.  I go through a litany of things that I am so much aware that God has done for me but every once in a while, I stop and say, “What am I not thinking about?”

Today I got to thinking about all of the little contributions, the different people and experiences have me into what I am today.  I think of the guy who was a total atheist and yet it was discussions with him that helped me to think.  I think of the youth leader who was held in low regard by the parents in the church because he tended to be a bit crazy, but it was his immaturity, shall we say, that helped me to grow and develop leadership skills.  I think of Vietnam.  There are so many things that have made me what I am today.

I think most of us like to think of ourselves is being mighty oak trees, or perhaps a piece of furniture made of solid oak.  In reality, most of us are more like particle board, or even worse, whatever that stuff is that’s made up of sawdust.  We are little bits and pieces that have been put together in a certain way to produce a certain result.  As much as we want to be awesome oak trees in reality, we will be that little bookshelf with the individual shelves that tend to bend with time and have to be turned over to compensate.

There’s a place for mighty oak trees.  I have a few in my yard.  I’m not sure I would call them mighty, but they are pretty nice.  One of the things that we tend to forget is that there are many types of oak trees, and some are good for nothing much more than holding the soil down, shielding the grass and looking good.  Others are good for building things.

There’s probably a place for partical board also.  There’s a certain humility in being made of little pieces and still being useful.  Think of how much of your furniture you would have to throw out if you required everything to be solid wood.  Of course there are places where it’s necessary, but that’s up to the designer and the architect, which is certainly not us.

homo unius libri