And they were so strange - these people! There were the boys and men who rose at dawn - yet never paused to watch the sun flood the world with light; who stayed in the fields all day - yet never raised their eyes to the big fleecy clouds overhead; who knew birds only as thieves after fruit and grain, and squirrels and rabbits only as creatures to be trapped or shot. The women - they were even more incomprehensible. They spent the long hours behind screened doors and windows, washing the same dishes and sweeping the same floors day after day. They, too, never raised their eyes to the blue sky outside, nor even to the crimson roses that peeped in at the window. They seemed rather to be looking always for dirt, yet not pleased when they found it - especially if it had been tracked in on the heel of a small boy's shoe!
More extraordinary than all this to David, however, was the fact that these people regarded him as strange.
David loved nature, played beautiful music on his violin, and trusted his father's word. Strange indeed.
My heart leans toward the joy and beauty of life as captured by David. Yet, I identify with the poor woman looking for dirt. I can fuss too much about little things while missing the big picture of God's love. Fortunately for me, I have family and friends... and great Family Reads to remind me to look at the joy, love, and beauty that is all around me.
