Catharine Creek

Catharine Creek

“Each of you must take responsibility for doing
the creative best you can with your own life.”
Galatians 6:5 MSG

The short drive from Watkins Glen down to Elmira follows the path of Catharine Creek, a small stream known for its trout fishing, as Route 14 winds through the beautiful rolling hills of Western New York. Our family drove through that area several weeks ago and I had the chance to be back there this week when I got to spend a few days relaxing at a cottage on Seneca Lake and doing some touring in the area. Seneca Lake, as I’ve shared before, is the largest of the Finger Lakes and provides a great atmosphere for a few days of rest and relaxation.

Looking out over the two mile span of the lake, the overall view is so incredible that it’s very easy to overlook what contributes, unseen to most, to making that particular body of water so splendid. A good example is in the number of small, seemingly insignificant streams and brooks that flow into the lake, each one so small that you’d have to wonder if it makes any difference whatsoever. But there are hundreds of these tributaries flowing into Seneca Lake, each one contributing in ways that I would never see from the comfort of my lounge chair.

Underground springs also feed the lake providing a steady supply of fresh water to the lake, springs that at its deepest depths of 600 feet are never seen by the human eye. But the fact that we will never see their contribution doesn’t in the least diminish their existence and their importance to the lake and the many activities it supports. The same is true of Catharine Creek, not more than a dozen feet across in most places and often less than a foot or two deep, this little stream is a primary source of water to the largest of the Finger Lakes. Isn’t it ironic that such a large body of water depends on such small streams, springs, and brooks for its supply and sustenance, and to maintain its all important water levels.

Just as the springs are out of sight, and the streams and brooks so inconsequential in appearance that we wonder about their significance, so too it is easy to overlook the importance of each one of us to the plans of purposes of the Lord in His Kingdom and in our local churches. In some ways, we are all little Catharine Creeks, all important in God’s economy, and all necessary for the work of the kingdom. We all matter; we all have a contribution to make; we all have abilities and gifts to share with others and we all have a uniqueness that makes us indispensible to the Lord and to those around us!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church