James Bryan Smith, in “The Good and Beautiful God,” describes sitting in an Adirondack chair in his backyard one unseasonably warm day in February. He writes of the lesson he learned that day:
“The leaves had long ago fallen, but one busy tree really stood out. Normally, I would never have paid much attention to this tree, and given the time of year I would not have spent more than a few minutes in the backyard. But there it was, and it had my full attention.
“After a few minutes I noticed something strange about this tree in addition to its leaves: it had lots of tiny grape-like berries. I began to wonder why it was full of berries at this time of year. Because I had been in and out of prayer that afternoon, I turned my attention to God and asked, ‘God, why is this tree full of berries?’ Right on cue a little bird, the size of a finch, flew to the tree, skewered a berry and flew to a nearby bush where it dined. The Spirit whispered, ‘That is why the tree is full of berries.’
“It was as if the Sermon on the Mount was being preached in my backyard. “Look at the birds of the air and how they neither sow nor reap but are fed by their Father in the heavens” (see Matthew 6:26). But the sermon was not over. The Spirit then led me to consider just how many berries were on that tree. There were thousands. And then I was led to consider how small those little birds are, so small they could fit in the palm of my hand. The point: God has provided more for them than they will ever need. The application: when we live with the good and beautiful God, we have access to more than we will ever need.
“It was a powerful sermon that I would have missed had I not been ‘foolish’ enough to step off the achievement treadmill and plant myself in the middle of my backyard for an hour….Have you ever had an experience like the berry-filled tree, where you stopped and paid attention to your surroundings and discovered something wonderful?
