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Daily Devotionals
Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
Covington, Virginia, has long been one of my favorite places to visit. My wife was raised in that area and still has family (five brothers and a sister) in the county there. This past week it was my pleasure to return to Covington for a revival with the good folks at the Highland Chapel Christian Church. It is always good to share with them. They have proven to be a very sincere and dedicated group of people.
During the course of the four days of revival I was constantly on the go there in the area. Driving the local roads is (no pun intended) a real trip. The roads are so winding that several times I thought there was a red car trying to pass me and it was just me in a curve. [insert laugh track here] But that is what I like about Covington. It is set in a valley with beautifully wooded mountains surrounding it.
In the Spring the mountains are covered with this enormous green blanket trimmed in the colors of the red buds and dogwoods in their bloom. They are breathtakingly gorgeous to behold in April. There is also something safe and protective of those mountains; an almost secure feeling being nestled within their enveloping embrace. In the Fall those same mountains will burst with color and dazzle the eye with their hues of red and orange and yellow and brown as if to say, "Take solace, I am still here to protect you."
Mountains have long been a symbol of strength and dedication. No surprise that the people they would yield would be of the same fabric. Mountain people are a strain all their own. They possess certain character traits that sadly are missing sometimes among we flatlanders. Being a part of a family with those self same people as relatives is a grace for which I am grateful.
Such strength moved David to write, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." Psalm 121:1-4 While the mountains possess great strength, better to draw help from Him who made the mountains.
'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' Copyright 2010 © Tom Kelley. 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with their complete bio and a link to https://www.studylight.org/ 2) 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
