While on a walk through the woods I pause and challenge myself to find something in this barren spot to photograph.  On the surface everything seemed common and uninteresting; then I brushed away the leaves under my feet to see what was hidden below.  That was when I became acquainted with this curious plant.  I watched him gradually lift himself out of the dirt and slowly reach for the sky above our heads.

        Upon closer examination it appeared that each fiber of his being was reaching for something higher than he was; he was on a quest to climb out of his dark prison and scale to new heights of freedom and liberty.  As I observed this wonderful spectacle I thought I could almost hear my strange new friend begin to chant, Free at last, Free at last.  Here was a plant that had grown restless and discontent with his surroundings.  Too long he had been weighted down with the problems of the past and last years dead leaves.  He was no longer satisfied with the musky darkness of the status quo but was on a quest to find his destiny in the heights above.

        Here was a plant whose reach had been exceeding his grasp and every day spent in the darkness only fueled his desire to find higher ground.  Inwardly he knew he was meant for something better than he had grown accustomed to, and when he saw the light immediately he began reaching for it.  Oh, that I was more like my little green friend.  Too often my main concerns are for pleasure, possessions, comfort and conformity.  And while all around me grows darker as I am buried with the cares of such a life, inwardly my heart cries out for more.  I have an inner yearning for a better life; a desire to reach beyond the limitations I have grown accustomed to.

        We are too content with ourselves.  We are satisfied to stay where we are, and fail to recognize the stench of stagnation rising around us.  We have grown comfortable with our routines and accustomed to the darkness of the dead leaves that have covered us and have failed to realize that we can reach for the skies.  Do you feel some stirring in your heart today for something better?  Are you growing discontent with the darkness of the dirt around you?  You can escape your prison today; realize that the door is unlocked and all you have to do is reach up as far as you can by faith, and trust our Lord to do the rest.  A better life is a choice; do not be satisfied with anything less.

Something to think about:

• Discontent is the source of trouble, but also of progress.

• There are two kinds of discontent in this world: the discontent that works, and the discontent that wrings its hands. The first gets what it wants, and the second loses what it has. There’s no cure for the first but success; and there’s no cure at all for the second.

• Beware of ambition—it can drive you into a lot of work.

• Our lord comes to us, not only to give us peace, but also to disturb us.  Inner restlessness and disquiet can well be the Master sowing the first seeds of faith in your heart.

• If Christianity has never disturbed us, we have not yet learned what it is.

• Faith is not anti-intellectual. It is an act of man that reaches beyond the limits of our five senses.

• Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.

• You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.

Keep reaching for a higher ground
Rickey Moore