When We Walk in the Bushes

Oh, the reminders I need of what is truly important….

This week has felt “heavy”. There are so many decisions to make about the future, and there have been a few disappointments, too. While there are also many joys, it seems this past week it was just easier to focus on the things weighing me down.

But yesterday afternoon was good for me.

Anika was playing outside in the freshly fallen snow with the other camp kids, so I took Kaylia outside, too. I was talking with another camp mom, and lost track of where Kaylia was playing for just a second.

When I turned around to find her, there she was, following the camp dog, halfway up a hill into the bush.

She’s never wandered off into the forest before, so it  surprised me to see her all the way up there. She was determinedly pressing onward, and I had to hurry to catch up with her. By the time I got to Kaylia, she was almost at the top of the hill, and I said to her, “Kaylia, I do not want you to go into the bush all by yourself!”

And she said to me, “It’s good to walk in the bushes, Mama!”

Having discovered the wild blue yonder, it was very difficult for her to understand why we needed to turn around and go back. The whole way down the hill, she kept telling me, “Mama, it’s good to walk in the bushes.”

And as we went, I really took time to look at the snow-covered trees, and I drank in the silence of fluffy snowflakes softly falling. I had to agree with her, it was good to walk in the bushes.

When I walk in the bushes, I find perspective. Priorities fall into place, and the weight is lifted.

That night I read again about Mary and Martha, and about how Jesus said to Martha,

“…You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

It is far better to leave behind all that worries and upsets. It is better to sit at Jesus’ feet and be all filled up with Him.

And it is better to go walking in the bushes, to be reminded of the stillness and peace that is waiting for us, if we choose to focus on Him.