Blessed are those who trust in the Lord; the Lord will be their trust. They are like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It does not fear heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still produces fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8
(Photo: Carriage trail bridge over New Duck Brook, Acadia NP)
This is a photo of Beaver Ponds in Acadia NP. As we explored around the water, we saw this large beaver dam holding the water back.
Busy as a beaver. I’ve seen beavers at work and a more accurate phrase may be persistent as a beaver. I realize the alliteration is missing so it doesn’t have the same ring to it. But I’ve come to think of persistence as more of a virtue than busyness. Persistence implies an intentionality whereas busyness sounds like doing random things for the sake of being busy. Persistence also seems linked to another biblical virtue, patience.
This is the Egg Rock Light Station; the island named for the abundance of seabirds’ nests and eggs found there. The original Light Station was built in 1875. The current lantern house was built in 1986; there is also a separate fog station building which dates to 1904.
We are called to be light for the world. Light to provide guidance, sometimes in the form of warning. But always to show God’s love.
“We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.” (Oscar Romero)
God has given each of us different gifts. Let us strive to realize ours gifts and use them to glorify God.
(Photo: Southwest Harbor, Maine)
This is a portion of the Canada Cliffs Trail near Echo Lake in Acadia. It’s a good example of some of the technical (challenging) terrain we encountered while hiking in Acadia.
It is nice to have smooth paths to walk (or run) on and most of the trails we use near our home are fairly smooth. But just as walking on flat ground doesn’t do much to prepare you for hills, walking on smooth ground doesn’t do much to prepare for technical trails.
It is not much of a stretch to say that life is filled with technical or challenging terrain. Nothing prepares you for challenges other than facing challenges.
One of our days at Acadia was spent biking on the carriage roads. We rented E-bikes; this was a new experience for the 4 of us. It had been explained to us how the E-bikes work, but still none of us really knew what to expect.
Getting the “assist” with pedaling was almost unnoticeable – it was even difficult to recognize when you were going uphill other than watching your speed and power level.
I think that is a good metaphor for God’s presence in our lives. God is assisting us, and not just at the times when it is obvious.
Signs Along the Way 