ever resting

“Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable. I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours. Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds, until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing. If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much.”

It’s easy to love people we like. It’s something we really don’t even have to think about doing. But I think Jesus checks our hearts by the way we love people we don’t like, and let me tell you, that can feel like the ultimate chore. You have to willingly lay down your pride and differences to love people you don’t like - but I truly believe God smiles on us and blesses us when we do.