His Pen: From His Heart To Yours

A beautiful song filled the air of the early morning. A light and flighty tune that filled all the crevices of the heart- a melody of joy. In the midst of it, a voice was calling, soft and soothing. Before I could make out any words, a familiar sound of bleating infiltrated my mind- the sound of the sirens. It was the hooter of a car. My slumber was broken, and the road trip was about to begin!

As we got out of town, the hills began to roll in. As the sun rose, it yawned it’s brilliant light over the horizon and carefully caressed and tickled the fields and trees. A beautiful sight to behold! Two guys and three girls, in a micro party-wagon; a pride and joy which they called  “Lillian”. The driver was a racy fellow who knew how to weave in and out of traffic, but with enough caution to know how precious life is. The girls were singing on top of their voices the songs of their generation. Chatting and laughing with great jubilation as the journey ebbed and flowed.

Their mission was simple: to plan nothing and simply follow his voice. The voice of the Lumberjack. A mysterious being who roams the wildlands, able  to tame the wildest with the simple sound of his voice. Sovereign king of the forests. Guardian of the sacred eternity, with an imagination like no other.

As they reached our destination, the site that stood before them, it took their breaths away: trees like unbridled giants towered over them, beckoning them to enter beyond their walls. Everyone was excited to get going, but first, a bite to eat. The guys were very simple, rustic fellows. Just the bare necessities for them and they were happy, no problem. The girls however brought everything with them, including a three-course meal, but excluding the kitchen sink. There simply was not enough room in the party-wagon for it. In the end they all enjoyed their meals thoroughly. Whatever the girls could not finish, they fed to the guys, which weren’t complaining. Also, there was coffee- don’t forget the coffee. That steamy, elixir of black gold.

With everyone filled up and ready to go, the expedition finally began. The forest welcomed us with all its charm. Everything was so green and untouched. The land that time seemed to have forgotten. Everyone was very gabby and the banter was flying  around pretty wildly, but in between, everyone stopped to see the treasures that the forest had hidden. Almost beckoning to be found. A small stream here. A knobbly tree there, some fungus on a dying tree branch, a unique root structure that looks like steps- the kind that loves to send you on a trip if you are not looking where you are going; you know… trivial things. For a moment or two, the group would take out their camera-phones and start clicking and flashing away at the earthen anomalies-  like a millennial paparazzi gathering. A fascination to watch.

Meanwhile, in the stillness of the trees, with the commotion far ahead… stood a presence, as quiet as a mouse. Looking, watching intently at all that was happening. A great excitement came across him as he started whistling a familiar tune to himself. There was a dull blue glow emanating from close by-  it was his axe, or rather the letters on it were glowing… the Lumberjack tightened his grip and started to move. Not even the rustle of leaves was heard, or even a footstep. As he drew closer, the five never saw anything. They were too occupied with themselves and the beauty of the nature around them.  Little did they know, the pursuit had already begun.

After a while, the five came to rest at a stream which ended in a waterfall. They had been climbing a winding path up a breathtaking mountain and had seen other waterfalls on the way, but this one was by far the highest and the most beautiful. They decided that it was a good place to have lunch, which was nowhere near as elaborate as what breakfast was. It mainly consisted of nuts and fruits, the guys were not happy about this. Not one bit. The scene was quite serene. Nobody really wanted to leave. The water was so inviting, but nobody brought anything to swim with- plus the weather was quite cold.  Alas, they had to forcefully  peel themselves away from that woodland fantasy. There was one more stop. One more treasure, the biggest one of them all, and it was located in the very heart of the forest. The girls had not seen it before and the guys persuaded  them that it was worth the trek there, as they were getting tired.  We all were.

On the way there,  the girls almost boycotted the guys. The climax of the jeopardy.  It was a bit further than they would have like to admit, as guys tend to do, but they found it in the nick of time!  It was truly the jewel of the forest: a tree, quite fairly sized, growing from the inside of a huge rock. Its root structure spewed over the boulder, like a cascading waterfall. Over time, the stone had split because of the infiltration of the root system- leaving a massive, unnatural  rift. We sat and made ourselves comfortable. After a while, one of the guys, the quieter of the two, got the attention of the girls. He opened up his heart and shared about the jewel of the forest to which he called the “Jesus Tree”.

Such a humble structure, he shared, reminded him of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, was buried and on the third day, He rose again. It represented life, that Jesus was the vine and we were the branches and that without Him, we can do nothing. The rock represented Jesus as the rock of salvation- firm and unmoving. However, it also meant the hardness of life- so cold and unforgiving, but a seed will find a way to grow even in the harshest of places. When we hear about Jesus, it is a seed planted in the hardness of our hearts. If we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, the seed germinates and its roots extend to all the crevaces of our hearts of stone . As the roots grow  bigger and stronger, the cracks widen as Jesus is revealed more and more through your life.

The talk lasted  just five minutes, if that. The silence that followed… was deafening. Peace fell like a blanket  upon the five. Not a sound was heard: no nature, no sigh of the wind amongst the trees… nothing. The tranquility  lasted for about fifteen minutes, but it felt like an eternity. In their moment, as they gazed upon the natural treasure and reflecting on the words spoken, a presence arrived and sat beside them. Although they could not see him, they could certainly sense him. Unannounced, and almost unexpected. It was the Lumberjack.

As he sat there with them, remembering what the tree had meant to him, it was as if  the very creation around him bowed in reverence before him. The Lumberjack looked at  his hands… he remembered what the tree meant exactly. Many names finely etched into his hands -including those of the five. Those whom he dearly loved. The scars that ran through them… he remembered. Sacrifice. Redemption. Grace. All for the sake of the unconditional love he had for them, whom he loved. The joy within him grew. The words on his axe started glowing much brighter than before, throbbing a beautiful blue light. It was time. He saw the hurts and burdens they carried. The girls especially. He approached them gently and opened his mouth to speak. At this point in time the guys started praying for the girls. Whatever their mouths spoke of, it was in complete synchronization of what the Lumberjack was saying to the girls.

As he uttered to them; he worked in them, carving their hearts to what he had envisioned for them and removing what wasn’t supposed to be there. His hatchet was incredibly sharp. It could effortlessly strip a tree from its bark. What more could it do  to a hurting heart, or one that was heavy burdened, what about a heart that was sick? As the Lumberjack worked on the hearts of the girls, there was one word from his comforting  companion  that continually caught his eye, it shimmered every time  he saw it. It was the word “freedom”. Finally, in what seemed like forever yet felt like a minute, He gave a tender smile as he began to finish up what he had come to do.

The moment was gone, yet still so tender. The atmosphere changed again. It was more down-to-earth per say. The young ladies, were left with not a dry eye in sight. A good work had started. A seed was sown. Alas, everyone was in agreement that it was time to go. As they walked through the forest once more toward the party-wagon, no one was nearly as talkative as before. Somehow, these enchanted woodlands felt more alive than before. A Natal Loerie barking in the distance, a small troop of Chacma baboons chattering amongst each other as they gingerly followed us at a distance, the wind played amongst the trees; causing them to moan and groan like old men… and of course a familiar presence followed closely behind us, whistling his familiar tune. In no time at all, they reached their trusty chariot. Soon, the girls were fast asleep as their journey ebbed to flowed to an end. And so, as the sun yawned its last light, it began to slowly and carefully settle in for the night.