By Chris Bates
There is nothing like a painted dawn in the Mississippi Delta. On a recent hunting trip, I arrived just before sunrise and took in the quiet solitude as I sat against a large oak. Stars stretched across the sky in ways that we cannot see when under city lights. As the breeze whispered through the branches carrying the scent of persimmon, the first sliver of sunlight appeared on the horizon to begin waking the day.
One of the many gifts given to us by the outdoors is the opportunity to unplug from routine, work, distractions, and human-made noise. Away from screens and deadlines, we find a unique openness in these moments. Nature brings perspective, and sometimes, as it did for me that morning, invites us to reflect on the profound gifts in life.
It is an almost unbelievable love story. For over 25 years, Stacy and I led nearly parallel lives. We attended rival schools and then the same college, shared mutual friends, and even lived within blocks of each other at different times. Still, our paths didn’t cross meaningfully until many years later. We also had in common, without knowing it, the mutual challenge of having enough patience to find the love relationship that we each hoped to find. God had a plan, weaving our lives together in ways we couldn’t have anticipated. God wove the tapestry for this story many years ago.
Love, as C.S. Lewis said, requires vulnerability, a willingness to open our hearts fully, despite the risk of hurt. It is in this openness that we experience what Webster’s Dictionary defines love as: “unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.” This love doesn’t just apply to romantic relationships; it extends to all areas of life. God calls us to love selflessly, as seen in Matthew 22:36-39 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (and) love your neighbor as yourself.” This command is a call to be more intentional in our spiritual and human relationships.
As adults, we often wait impatiently for the “gifts” we desire, like kids on Christmas morning — whether for love, career progress, or fulfillment. But scripture reminds us of the value of patience. Colossians 1:11 encourages us in “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.” God’s gifts don’t always come when we expect, nor do they always look the way we imagined. But when we trust His timing, we receive blessings beyond our own plans.
In this season, may each of us give thanks for the relationships God has placed in our lives and trust that He will provide the right connections in His time. Whether you’re surrounded by loved ones or in a period of waiting, may His grace guide you. To share a prayer ending from a recent church service that is fitting for this topic: Let us give thanks for the gift of one another.
Chris Bates is CEO of AgoraEversole, a full-service marketing agency in Jackson, and can be reached at Chris@AgoraEversole.com. He and his wife, Stacy, live in Madison and have adult children and three grandboys.