Simple Acts

Zion National Park posted this picture from a summer storm that blew through the canyon last night, and I couldn't help but share it.  Zion Canyon is one of my favorite places on earth, and it's not hard to see why from vistas like this.  Canyons like this aren't made overnight.  It takes lifetimes of water cutting through the sandstone to create works of art such as Zion.  Seeing this picture, and pondering on its wonder, reminded me of a story that teaches me many things, but one in particular that parallels this thought in particular.

 

Naaman was a powerful general leading a vast army when Joram was King of Israel; however, he was struck with leprosy, and he tried to do all in his power to prevent the disease from destroying the life he had built and enjoyed.  This desperation led him to ask the prophet at the time, Elisha, for assistance, and he was sorely disappointed when a messenger was sent telling him to wash seven times in the Jordan River and he would be made clean.

 

He was upset that the prophet himself didn't come to cure him; he was upset that the Jordan river wasn't even the cleanest or mightiest river of the region; he was upset that the task required of him was so simple...washing 7 times in the Jordan River.  However, with the help of his servants, he overcame his pride and he did as was asked, and as promised he was made clean. (2 Kings 5:10-14)

 

How many times do we overlook the small and simple tasks looking instead for the grandeur and prestige of something greater?  Many times we face defeat, in whatever we pursue, because we did not tend to the tiny details that end up mattering the most.  7 times Naaman had to wash himself in what he considered a "dirty" river in order for him to find success; how many centuries has it taken the Virgin River to perform its magic in cutting out Zion Canyon? It is not in great deeds, but in the accumulation of repeated simple acts wherein rest the sweetest blessings.

 

Calling all Lions!