Lakeside Meditations
by
Ruth Barnes

I sit by the side of an Austrian lake -
Time to relax and contemplate.
Gentle waves lapping not far from my feet
While a tree overhead gives relief from the heat.

It's a far cry from home and my day to day life;
How welcome this break from the noise and the strife.
For there I'm too busy to stop and to think
And it seems that a week's gone before I can blink.

But here it is soothing to breathe the fresh air
As I feel from my shoulders is slipping each care.
I view in the distance the opposite shore
And screw up my eyes as I try to see more.

Those look like houses - how tiny they seem -
And behind them a forest of warm, luscious green
Covers the mountain that rises so high,
And above is the endless expanse of the sky.

I suddenly find myself quite overcome.
Can it be true that the Lord knows each one?
If he made the lakes and the mountains and sky,
Can he really see someone as tiny as I?

With a warm rush of feeling I know it is true;
For he came to this planet for me and for you.
The Bible declares it - that Jesus came down
In order that those who are lost may be found.

Thank you, dear Lord, for dying for me;
Maker of forests, yet nailed to a tree.
Help me to follow you day after day
Regardless of where my future may lay.