Stop and Smell the Roses
As the king was about to cross the river, Shimei fell down before him. 19 “My lord the king, please forgive me,” he pleaded. “Forget the terrible thing your servant did when you left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. 20 I know how much I sinned. That is why I have come here today, the very first person in all Israel* to greet my lord the king.” 21 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shimei should die, for he cursed the Lord’s anointed king!” 22 “Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah!” David exclaimed. “Why have you become my adversary* today? This is not a day for execution but for celebration! Today I am once again the king of Israel!” 23 Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, “Your life will be spared.”
2 Samuel 19: 18-23 (NLT)
I don’t know about you, but to me the winter has drug on and on and on and on… well you get the point! Personally, there is just something about the winter months that just depresses me and makes me get into that ho-hum routine of life. I forget to notice things around me and start the same robotic habits. I get into a rut.
Back in December, I decided to plan a trip to Charleston, South Carolina to visit a very good and long time friend of mine from high school as she was not going to be able to come home to visit over Christmas. I planned the trip for mid- February and thought nothing of it until a week prior as I had gotten into the winter doldrums. My trip finally arrived and as it is with most of my flying experiences, I experienced delays. So although a tab bit irritated at first, I accepted my fate, and sat down for the five hour unexpected layover in Memphis and read my Bible. I poured over 2 Samuel. At first, I had thought of the time lost with my friend, Becky, but reading the Bible was calming. Reading about Shimei begging David for forgiveness because he cursed and threw stones at David (see 2 Sam. 16: 5-14), and David forgiving him was speaking volumes to me about humility and little did I know, God was going to teach me more lessons on humility and His beauty.
My visit to Charleston was made perfect in the beautiful, calming, and peacefulness of Magnolia Plantation. At first I had just been excited for 67 degrees and sun, that day I left with much more. My eyes were filled with absolute beauty and wonder. I could not believe all the different and gorgeous flowers I saw and the diverse plant life, including the unique Spanish moss that hung off the very old trees. With all the ponds and rivers and wildlife, I didn’t know if my eyes could take everything in at the historic and old plantation. Towards the end of the afternoon, Becky and I climbed a very high wildlife tower the tour guide had suggested. We were the only two people in the tower. Neither one of us spoke as we stared across the landscape and captured the fresh air, beauty, and animals below. It was quiet, it was peaceful, it was God’s creation. How humbled I felt. Humility, according to The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, means the opposite of arrogance and pride; an attitude that grows out of recognition that all we are and everything we own are gifts from God. Everything I am, everything I own, everything I see, everything is from God. And in that tower, I said a prayer of thanksgiving for the beauty and wonder that is God. I thanked Him for the trip and the escape from winter, if only it was just for a few days. The trip was a gift from God and a reminder of all His glory.
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