The nakedness and barrenness of Columbus’ nature trails

Because I thought I needed something other than a brief introduction about myself, I thought I would copy something that I posted on Facebook. I posted this on March 6, 2009.

I just got back from his first bicycle ride of the year, and I could not help but to compare Columbus’ nature trails to our lives. The nature trails are currently naked and barren because the trees do not have their leaves as of yet and the grass is still brown from the winter weather. Along with the trails’ barrenness, they are very ugly because all of the amount of trash that has piled up all winter long.

Despite the barrenness, nakedness, and ugliness that the trails display during this part of the year, there is life all around and through them. Birds are in the trees squawking, dogs are running up and down the trails near their owners, and people prepare a baseball field for its next game. And very soon, the trees will have their leaves, the grass will be green, and the flowers will be blooming.

This is how I believe God sees us, in our barrenness – in our nakedness – in our ugliness. And because of these traits of ours, God the vinedresser enters our lives so that we will have a life that is vibrant and full of color.