August Parable

A creature of habit, no matter what the weather or time of year, one of the first things I do after waking up and grabbing a cup of coffee is to head out onto the porch. The weather-tight door always makes a distinct squeal and whoosh as it opens into a new day. It’s often the best part of waking up, even when it is still pitch black out. Like now, in mid-August.

Each season has their distinctive sights and sounds. In winter, the moon seems especially bright against the snow, the trees creek and branches snap in the frigid breeze, and on a still morning the sounds of a big rig on the distant highway and the even more distant town clock seem amplified. In spring and early summer, when there is a glorious hint of daylight even by 5 a.m., the porch door opens to the sound of a songbird symphony, a dog barking in the distance, and an early-riser motorcycle off in the distance. Fall is more of an aroma than a sound — decaying leaves, freshly fallen pine needles, and wood stove smoke.

But August is unique. I don’t need a calendar to tell me what time of year it is. The bird chorus is gone, with apparently many of them busily packing their bags for the long flight south for the winter. The wind in the trees sounds different, too. A bit of a crackle to it as the first hints of fall foliage smack against new growth, and with each small breeze, acorns and pine cones hit the woodland floor.

Most of all, though, there is the nonstop sound of tree crickets singing. It's not like the occasional cricket-in-the-grass chirping of early summer but almost as a quiet, pleasant ringing in the ears...

...Back inside, I hear a window fan whirring, the refrigerator humming and the clock ticking away. All vying for my attention. One morning last week, I was especially aware how these sounds were drowning out the beautiful, way-in-the-background sounds of August out on the porch. Almost annoyingly so, and so I got up and went back outside to not just hear noise but to listen. I wondered why the magnetic attraction and why it may have been the wisest thing I did all day…

“…and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased and delighted! Listen to Him!” —Matthew 17:5, Amplified

“My child, listen to — grasp — what I say

    and remember, store up what I command you.

Listen carefully;  bend your ear to wisdom;

    set your mind on, stretch your heart to understanding.

Cry out for wisdom,

    and beg — shout out loud — for understanding.

Search. Seek for it like silver,

    And hunt. Search for it like hidden treasure.

Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,

    and you will gain knowledge of God.

—Proverbs 2:1-5, Expanded, NLT

“Listening to God — which is a key part of practicing His presence — is not a method, but a walk with a Person.”—Leanne Payne