Never Ending Battle

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."  Exodus 14:14 (NIV)

Last post on leaves this autumn, I promise!!  The colors this year were magnificent (of course, I say that every year).  It seemed as if the lack of water produced colors that were just amazing.  I truly thought it was going to be a different story.  Yet, as I drove down the roads of New England, I couldn't help but see all the beautiful glory that God had painted for us this year.

Yet, just as the leaves turn beautiful colors, eventually, they fall to the ground.  Typically, we get one very strong wind storm that forces all the leaves from their home on the trees to a blanket of color on the ground.  They are gorgeous, but it then becomes a chore to pick up all the leaves off the grass.  Usually, we wait for a calm (less windy) day for this event.  Not today.  Juan decided that he was going to get a start on this annual ritual, despite the strong winds.  Thus, the never-ending battle.  As he would make a pass to pick up the leaves, just as many seemed to fly down around him.  It seemed like he was fighting a battle that he just couldn't win.  

As I watched Juan take on this insurmountable chore (yes, I watched from afar), it made me think of how our lives can be so similar to this chore!  Our days can seem like a never-ending battle of chores, work, and demands.  Compound all of that with health concerns, relationship issues and other worries and it seems as if we are always fighting some sort of battle that we can't win.  I know when I feel that level of stress, it seems as if nobody is on my side and I'm in the battle alone.  

Let us never forget, though, that the Dear Lord is always there to fight our battles for us.  Among all of the stress and anxiety, He is there.  Among all the worry and demands, He is there.  Among all the chores and work, He is there.  He is there to fight our battle when we don't have anything left to fight the battle.  Instead of running like the hamster in the wheel, we just need to be still, find time with The Word, and realize that God is there to fight our battle for us.  It can be hard for us to do just that.  Let's be still and be WITH God, for when we do that, our battles seem less and our load seems to be lighter.

For the record, Juan did get a head start on the leaves and I believe it will be easier during the next couple of weeks to pick up the balance.  

"Heavenly Father, many times during the battles of our daily lives, we keep going and going, believing that we will succeed on our own.  Help us to know, Lord, that when we are still and dive deep into your Word, you will fight the battle for us - helping us to see "the leaves through the wind".  Amen!"