God, I believe, has a special affinity for gardeners.   After all, He created the very first garden for us.  It was only after mankind was cast out of the garden (because of our sin) that we had to work the ground for what had before been freely provided to us.  

Genesis 3:17b-19 “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your  brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

We’ve dealt with bothersome weeds ever since.  Yet even they can be a lovely reminder to us of how much God loves us,
longs for us to be in right standing with Him and desires to help us grow into what He wants us to be.

Anyone who gardens is aware that weeds grow without any coaxing  – many times easier than the seed or plant that was purposefully planted - and in the most unsuspecting spaces.  A crack in the concrete that is no bigger than a single human hair is enough space to allow a weed to sprout.  It is also true of sin when we are inattentive to the spiritual condition of our heart.

While I stopped during my own weeding project to think about this, I also thought about the weeds that I was working so hard to eradicate in my own garden and how they (the weeds) are quite similar to bad behavior exhibited in people.

Weeds are more easily removed when they are young and tender.  Left to mature, they can spread over the ground and their roots shoot straight downwards which can make them more difficult to remove.  The bigger the weed, the more painful it is on the gardener to remove as more pulling, tugging and digging is necessary to get all of it out of the ground.  And while it seems easier to simply leave weeds unattended (after all, many of them produce lovely blooms, while underground, they are destroying the roots of other plants) they will completely overtake a garden resulting in either a poor harvest or else no harvest at all.

Weeds steal moisture and nutrients from the seeds or seedlings that have been intentionally planted.  As the weeds take over, their leafy canopy becomes prime real estate for spiders and other creepy-crawlies that like to live in the shadows.  Exposure to light will cause these creatures to scatter and seek shelter elsewhere.
 
What are the ‘weeds’ in your life?  Gossip?  Unforgiveness?  Or some other behavior that is not pleasing to God?  
 
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
 
Our Master Gardener longs to show you where the weeds are in your life, to help you expose them through the light of His Holy Spirit and to show you how to most effectively remove them.  He’s waiting to meet you in the garden of your heart.  
  
(For more information about forming a relationship with the Master Gardener, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)


 

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The day was ‘off.’   It started that way and was indeed that way before we ever climbed out of bed.  The fast moving heavy rain
storm of the evening before caused an hours-long power failure that lasted well into the wee hours of the morning.  Throughout the night, there were continual sounds of household electronic equipment being suddenly brought to life during the on-again/off-again/on-again electricity fluctuations as the electrical workers diligently pressed forward in their efforts to restore power to the surrounding areas.  We woke exhausted after a broken night of sleep.

This‘off-ness’ wasn’t content to remain in bed when I climbed out and proceeded to follow me as throughout the house as I went about my morning routine.  There were spilled coffee grounds; a dropped item that resulted in the breaking of another dish; coffee cup remnants inadvertently dribbled all over the table; my foot run over by a refuse container; and misunderstanding through misinterpretation all  within an hour of rising.  What happened to the day I looked forward in anticipation to just last night?      
 
As I cleaned up the messes and nursed my foot, I thought about how God never has ‘off’days and never changes.  

Hebrews 13:8  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

I like to call him my God of absolutes because He’s an ‘all or nothing,’ ‘never or ever’ God.  He doesn’t do anything half-way or even part of the way.  He either does something fully or not at all.  It is to this Absolute God that I can depend on to be my anchor - my rock of stability - whenever I have a day when things don’t seem to go the way I think they should, and even when they do.  But perhaps it’s in the ‘off’ days that serve to act as a better reminder to me that He is constantly and consistently loving, faithful, unchangeable and unchanging, and an ever-present help.  Absolutely!  
  
Psalm 9:9-10  “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord of absolutes, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

As we traveled to our vacation home for the last long weekend of the summer, there was both anticipation for the much-deserved, much-needed rest, and also the weighted feeling of the ‘have to’ list of things that would need doing before that rest could occur.  
 
I thought back to the historical tales of early 20th century England when
a household containing servants was normal in certain societies.  For those families who had more than one house, it was common practice for servants to be sent ahead to open up and prepare the house for occupancy by the master, mistress, and family upon their arrival.  How lovely it would be to have someone go before us to prepare our weekend retreat so that we only had to concentrate on relaxing and resting.

While we do not have servants, we, as children of God, do have someone with a servant’s heart to go before us in preparation for both our near future…..

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Exodus 23:20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”

 …and our distant future.

John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

He also promises to give us true rest.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Do you feel as if you have nothing to look forward to?  Are you in need of rest?   He’s waiting to give you both.


(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him  located at the top of this
page.)

Gardeners everywhere have a special kind of faith.  They believe that spring will come, that the seeds they plant will sprout, and that, in due season, they will reap a harvest.  Before any seeds can be planted, however, the ground has to be prepared.  
 
The first time a piece of ground is to be used for raising vegetables, herbs, or flowers it has to be made ready.  The unbroken ground has to be tilled, and regardless of the size of the plot of ground being used or the method utilized to till it, there are undesirable items unearthed during this soil-busting process that have to be removed by hand.  This can be a long, tedious and frustrating operation. 

Early in the spring on a particularly hot day, I was using small garden hand tools to remove the sod that I had busted up a few days before.  With nearly each thrust of the three-tined cultivator, I would hear the sound of metal striking stone.  Lifting the tine-pierced sod piece, I shook it vigorously to dislodge as much soil as possible and then stared at the ground as a stone landed with a flat thunksound.  I casually tossed both to the edge of the garden plot, resumed humming a tune to myself and moved onto the next section of sod that needed to be removed. 

The more stones that were uncovered, the more my patience waned and my irritation rose.   As if to add insult to injury, on top of the sheer number of the stones, many of them needed to be dug out of the ground before they could be removed.  The casual tossing aside of each new stone turned into forceful throwing as my small mound of rocks grew to the size of a small hillock and my frustration over this project slowly crept towards anger.  
 
Sitting back on my heels, I wondered how something so full of the promise of joy could be so difficult to bring about. 
Would all of this effort even be worth it?  
 
I wiped the sweat out of my eyes and stared at the mountain of toss-aside sod and then at the ever-growing pile of rocks next to
it.  Only one-third of the garden plot had been cleared.  Looking at the remaining two-thirds, I felt the tears threatening to well, then glared at that pile of rocks as I asked God loudly, “Why did you have to make so many!?”

Luke 19:40 “I tell you,” he [Jesus] replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Why would stones cry out?  And who are the ‘they’ this verse speaks of?

 Luke 19:37-39 “When he [Jesus] came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:  “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!””

There will always be those who will try to make us be silent when we offer praise to God.  But our Lord deserves all of our praise, not just for all of the wonderful things He has – and is – doing, but simply for Who He is. He is our Creator, the King of Kings,
the Lord of Lords, our Champion, and our faithful God who is without compare. 
 
I smiled at that pile of stones.  They had ceased to be an irritation and had instead turned into a lovely reminder that it was my privilege as a living being to praise my Creator.  One day, all of the earth – including these stones – would cry out in praise to Him, but today, they would have to remain silent as I lifted my voice in prayerful praise to honor Him and to thank Him for being evident even in these stones.  

Are there any ‘rocks’ in your life?  Let them serve as a reminder that we have a Heavenly Father who longs to hear our prayers and receive our praise.  
   

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top
of this page.)

Knit, knit, purl, purl.  The knitting pattern for the baby blanket was repeated for row after row.  My fingers could practically work this pattern on their own, and left my thoughts free to think on the excitement the announcement about this expected new life generated.  With each stitch, I whispered a prayer for the mother and for this little life; for a safe pregnancy and delivery of a healthy baby. And, most of all that this little life will desire to live a life for our Creator.

Right at this moment, God is forming this little one’s body, as well as its mind, personality, likes, talents, and dislikes.  Dreams are also being instilled within its heart; dreams to pursue; dreams to find fulfillment and a purpose throughout its lifetime on this earth.  
 
While we all look similar when we are born, we are each unique and oh-so-very precious to God. There are no carbon copies of human beings.  We are not like car parts on an assembly line where each particular piece has to be constructed exactly alike over and over again.  God has a specific pattern that He follows in the formation of each one of us. 
  
As humans, we understand this formation of life on a rudimentary level while God sees the construction of life in all of its intricacies.  There are no mistakes.  There are no accidents.  God is intentional in the creation of each new life.  
  
Psalm 139:13 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  
  
Before we were formed, He knew us.  He designed us and throughout life, He never forgets us.
 
Isaiah 49: 15-16 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has
borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;….”  
  
Psalm 139:17 “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!”
 
You, dear soul, were knit together with love by our loving Heavenly Father.  You are not a mistake and He has never forgotten you.  Won’t you remember Him today?  He’s waiting for you.
 
(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this
page.)

We spend the bulk of our lives waiting for something.  Waiting.  Waiting.  Waiting …. for a particular birthday to be reached, for the arrival of a baby, for our turn in the checkout line, for the light to change to green, for Friday to get here and everything else in between.  If it is an important issue to you, I know that you have had to wait for a span of time for it just as we all have.

 Most of the time we endure this excruciating period of imposed inactivity with such a high level of impatience that we generate
needless stress for ourselves.  (We want what we want when we want it, right?)  We get frustrated and out of sorts as we expend precious energy to try to manipulate circumstances – which we have no control over – so as to bring an end to our time of waiting.  Our anger over having to endure this forced wait is taken out on the ready-made target(s) around us, as if they could have done something about it and have chosen not to.   It’s no wonder we are exhausted at the end of the day.

So why would anyone want to willingly add one more thing to wait on when we already spend so much of our time waiting when so many things have yet to get accomplished today?

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

 In The American Heritage Dictionary, one of the definitions for‘wait’ reads, 3. “To follow as a result; depend upon.”  In light of this definition, the above verse could read, “But they that follow and depend upon the Lord, shall renew their strength;…” 

Why follow Him?   Why depend upon Him?  

Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,  “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

 As I accept His plan for me, long lines (or weeks/months/years) of waiting will seem shorter and sweeter as I ‘wait’ with the knowledge that the plans the Lord has for me – full of hope - will unfold at just the right time.  And in the waiting, I shall find Strength.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

Laundry day.  It comes at least once (more frequently as often as not) each week depending on the
size of your household and on the amount of dirt and grime generated from  activity throughout the course of each day.  

I stared at the mounds of dirty laundry that had piled up on the floor of the laundry room since the last laundry day.  Sweat smells filled the air.  Gingerly I sorted through the clothes and groaned as an unreported, unexpected stain was discovered.  I sighed. Extra treatment would be needed for this garment.  
 
I poured laundry detergent into the clothes washer, filled the softener dispenser and, wrinkling my nose against the stench, shoved the first load into the drum.  As the water cascaded over this load, I shut the lid against the offensive odors and walked away to let the machine and the detergent do its work.

As the faint swish-swish sound of the washing machine was heard throughout the house, I thought of our need for an ‘inner’ laundry day. Spiritually speaking, we are all born into this world steeped in the inherited dirt and stench of sin, and are in need of cleansing.  God, in His great love of us, sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us so that His blood could cover us and wash us clean from the stains of sin.

Titus 3:4- 6 (NIV) “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,”   

God did not simply close the lid on our smelliness, but provided a way for us - a special stain treatment - so that we could be sweet-smelling, truly clean and brand new before Him simply for the asking.  

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone; the new has come!”

Jesus is the best stain treatment we could ever have!  Won’t you take the time on this laundry day to accept the gift of Jesus and allow Him to clean your inner laundry, too? 


  

Not long ago a major internet service provider  had a glitch in their programming that resulted in untold numbers of people
across the globe being denied access to their email for a short period of  time.  Business, educational and residential settings were ‘cut-off’ from their routine (and sometimes their only) mode of conducting their respective types of activity.  To the casual or occasional email user this may sound like a trivial situation; yet to those individuals whose lives depend upon it to either earn
their living or else to keep in touch with family and friends, it was not.  Mild irritation was not the prevailing theme that day in the chat room about the ISP or this particular problem.  Foremost in evidence was the anger people displayed at being denied access to what is normally available to them, and as such, is treated as a right or an entitlement.  There was also confusion over the ISP’s blatant silence regarding the status of this issue.  And nearly all of the ‘chatters’ had the same unanswered question:  How long was it going to be down?

I watched as the number of comments mounted into the hundreds, the above questions remaining as the prevailing themes, until suddenly one of the responses changed from the oft-repeated “me, too” to “I’m in!”   The energy level in the chat room changed as contributors successfully logged into their accounts.  As more “I’m in!” responses were left, the chat participants suddenly dwindled as they, presumably, resumed their normal email usage.  

Computer technology is an amazing, beautiful invention as well as a valuable tool to countless people….as long as it works properly.  Glitches, while not commonplace, are not unheard of.  We are neither entitled to, nor guaranteed unlimited access and use of, this technology.  It is a paid-for privilege that has so permeated our culture that it is practically treated as a right.  
 
As I later thought about this situation, I realized how unreliable manmade communication devices can be and marveled yet again at the wonderful method of communication we have been provided with in the form of prayer.  God never has a glitch in His programming or in His power supply.  There’s never a time when He’s ‘off-line’ for program upgrades or is inaccessible because He’s stepped out of the office for a bit or gone on an extended vacation.  God has no voicemail.  He’s always there, waiting, longing and listening for us to speak to Him.  
 
1 Peter 3: 12 (NIV) “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.”  
 
God would love to meet with you in His ‘chat room.’  Go ahead.  Send Him a "prayer-mail."

LIFE is busy.  No matter what your household and/or familial duties consist of, if you are a thinking, walking, breathing human being, you are busy.  It is this busyness that makes it challenging to see evidence of God in our everyday life. Yet He is there, waiting patiently for the time when we will let Him show us that He is indeed 'right where we are.'

Not long ago, I found a penny in our driveway.  I smiled as I held that copper colored disc in my palm.  It wasn't the monetary worth of this penny that made this unexpected find a treasure, but rather the reminder of the words stamped on the reverse side of the coin:  IN GOD WE TRUST.  For years now, each time I have found a penny - regardless of its downward- or upward-facing position - I pick it up and think of it quite literally as a penny from heaven.  It's a gentle reminder that we can trust in GOD to take care of us; we can trust in GOD  to meet all of our needs; we can trust in GOD to always be with us; and we can trust in GOD to have a home prepared for us with Him once we no longer walk this earth.  We can trust in GOD.  Period.

I taped this newly-found penny inside a card, filled the blank spaces with loving words of encouragement and mailed it off to a dear friend of mine and fellow sister in Christ whose husband recently had his 'home-going' quite unexpectedly.   This new widow was deep in grief and had many questions about how to manage life without her beloved by her side.   Above the taped penny, I wrote the explanation for it.  It is a reminder to me of the verse in Philippians 4:19 (NIV), "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."   IN GOD WE TRUST.   And why wouldn't we trust in Him when He has promised to meet all of our needs?

When you are out and about today (or tomorrow) and find a penny, be encouraged with those stamped words on the reverse.  And if someone else needs encouragement, send them the penny as a gentle reminder of Who we can look to for the hope we need for today.