The Quest to be a Better Mushroom

I was drawn to the tree stump.  As I drew closer I saw them.  A cluster of small brown mushrooms.  They were well camouflaged.  They blended into the old stump.  I pulled my phone from my pocket and snapped their picture but had no idea why!

I've started my study of the Book of Micah.  I wanted the challenge of studying one of the prophets.  I choose Micah because it is labeled as a "minor prophet" (meaning it's shorter) and one of my favorite verses is found in Micah.  Follow my blogs to find out which one!

The first verse of Micah lists Micah's credentials.  He was from Moresheth.  He lived during the reigns of Kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah.  The Lord's message came to him in visions.  The messages were directed to Samaria and Judah. The second verse tells me to "Listen Up!  God, the Holy One has accusations!" 

I flipped over to 2 Chronicles to read about the reigns of these three kings.  They all were kings of Judah, the Southern kingdom of the Israelites. Israel, the Northern kingdom, had no good kings.  My Marine friend in my Sunday School class used the advertising slogan for Marine recruitment at that time to describe the kings of Judah, "A Few Good Men."

2 Chronicles lists each king's parentage, length of  reign, accomplishments, failures and God's evaluation.  As I began the study of Micah I totaled the years of reign for these three kings who ruled during Micah's lifetime.

16+16+29= a long haul.  Micah's message was  may be short in the number of pages in The Bible but he preached his messages over many, many years.  Ironically, a span close to the  number of years of my own lifetime!

Then I pondered those mushrooms.  They were gone the next day.

Just yesterday in Bible Study I was reminded that God left me here on earth to influence others on His behalf.  Am I like those small brown mushrooms?  Clustered with other like-minded, so I won't stand out?  Do I look like every other believer?   Camouflaged so my message might not get noticed?  Do I have a small message of God's amazing grace like too many other believers?  When the weather changes to slightly warmer, do I disappear?

Today I want to learn from a different variety of mushroom that I photographed that day just a few feet from the tree stump.  Large, almost white and standing alone in defiance of the grass!  This proud mushroom survived several days.

The first two verses of Micah tell me to live a long life for God, to stay with God for the "long haul" of life, and to pay attention to His expectations. I want others to hear about the Big God of whom I am learning.  I want others to hear the Good News as the only way to survive this crazy life.  I'm hoping to become a better variety of mushroom, sharing the glory of God!