The Windy Moraine Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Michigan
8/13/13
Distance: 1.5 Mile Loop
Terrain: Hilly
Vegetation: Beech-maple forest, fields, and pine plantation
Wildlife: Squirrels, chipmunks, deer, various birds
Temporary Treasures
by Sarah Anderson
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 - "I denied myself nothing my eyes desires; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."
As we walked through the Windy Moraine there were many educational posts with numbers along the path. On our trail map, it gave a small informative paragraph on a particular field, fruit tree, or view located by each post.
As we neared number #5 we read about a great maple tree: "This giant sugar maple is certainly a century old; perhaps even much older. Why do you suppose it was spared when all the other surrounding trees were cut for lumber or to clear the area for farming? Pause here for a moment and think about the changes that have happened on the land since this tree was a seedling. If you feel a sense of awe, then you understand another reason for preserving biological diversity. Every time the world loses a species, we lose the opportunity to experience its unique beauty and wonder."
However, when we reached the fifth post the "Big Maple" didn't seem so beautiful. Nor was it a grand wonder. Large it was but it had not been spared as the trail map read.
A disease had slowly eaten away at the maple and it was rotting from the inside out. Overtime, even the greatest of things can be destroyed. The Bible says nothing of this world will last. If we don't keep a biblical perspective in our daily living, worldliness can easily consume us. And if we aren't careful, it can eat away at us like a cancer. Temporary treasures will always decay. Therefore we shouldn't live for the things of this world. As Ecclesiastes says, "all of it is meaningless." We should live for and invest in the eternal. Matthew 6:20-21 says "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth or rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Eventually, park rangers had cut some of the remaining branches down leaving the grand disaster before us. We did stand in wonder, but not because of the tree's greatness, but because we were in awe of a God who is worth more than all the treasures on earth.
Lord, forgive me when I spend more time focused on this world and what it might offer rather than living as a holy sacrifice unto you. You are my portion and my cup. You are enough and you satisfy my soul. Let not my heart be distracted by mere trifles. Let my heart be consumed with love for you!