pays others to pick balsam boughs in the fall to be made into Christmas wreaths at his factory in a nearby town. We have been a collection point for bough pickers for some years now.
As I climbed into his rusty old pickup, I knew I was going to hear some stories. Uncle always has stories. And, they're good ones from a long, full life of living. This day, Uncle wanted to complain about young people who don't understand about taking care of the next generation. They cut the balsam boughs, instead of snapping them; they get greedy and take too many, and the tree can't recover; they take boughs from trees along roadsides that should be left for everyone to see and enjoy; they forget that these trees will produce boughs for generations to come if properly cared for. "That is not the Indian way," he says. "The Indian way is to think about the next generation."
According the Department of Natural Resources, land can be privately owned, but water can't. Uncle explains, if a man is ricing in a lake, as long as he sits in the canoe on the water, he is not trespassing. The moment he puts a pole onto the ground or puts one foot on the lake bottom, he is, because the land under the lake is privately-owned.
Back to the lake Uncle wants to snowshoe: "So I was telling this DNR fellow," he says, "that if I snowshoe across this private land to the lake, what am I walking on? Snow! And what is snow--frozen water! So, I'm not legally trespassing because I'm not touching the ground. And when I get to the lake, what am I walking on. Ice! And what is ice--frozen water! You see." The DNR fellow told Uncle he might have to argue that one all the way to Madison. I don't know if he's put it to the test.No Easy Answers
I recently watched the movie "Captain Phillips." It is the story of an American ship that is boarded and taken over by Somali pirates. It weaves the story of the captain trying to save his crew, and a Somali man under pressure by local warlords to return with money or alternatively, a hostage that can be traded for money. As the story progresses, you begin to realize that there will be no feel-good resolution to this story. Either way the plot line goes, you feel the loss.
That's sometimes the way life goes. Many times we sit around our dining room table and listen to heartbreaking stories of lives gone awry. Most of the time there are no pat answers. There are no platitudes or "feel-good" verses that will make these situations suddenly get better. Usually, the answers take commitment and hard work over a long period of time. And, ultimately choosing to surrender individual wills to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Not an easy thing, but one that ultimately breaks the power of death and leads to the fullness of life.
Looking back at my own life, I see a journey filled with struggle. On one-side is a great desire to serve Jesus and bring him glory; on the other is a great desire to chose my own way, and bring myself glory. The tension is always present in hidden motives, thoughts and insincere actions. Mercifully, God patiently keeps nudging me back to his plan and speaks plainly so I understand what he wants from me. This is no hidden code that needs to be deciphered or mysterious level of spirituality that I have to reach. Jesus spoke to the common man (or woman) in very understandable ways. To sum it up: I love you. Believe in Me. Live Forever.
"So We praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to his dear son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding." Ephesians 1: 6-8
