Weedin' and Seedin'

Lately we've spent a lot of time in our garden. Planting, digging, pulling weeds, watering...on and on it goes. It sure takes a lot of work to really take care of a garden, and you never truly feel like the work is done. I continually notice more weeds to be pulled, more ground to be watered and more soil to be worked.

Why do I keep doing it then? Why not just drive down the road to Wal-Mart and pick up whatever is in season today and leave the work to the professionals? Oh, the promise of what is to come! There is nothing like something that comes from the work of your own hands. Not too long from now we could be sitting down to a bountiful blessing of fresh from the garden zucchini bread, a mountain of green beans, red peppers to snack on and watermelon to savor.

Last spring we spent so much time and money on the garden and then the rains came...and came...and came, and came some more. Our entire garden was wiped out. It felt devastating to look at the destruction, the absolute decimation of something that had been so cared for and desired.

I wonder through that then how God feels with us. After all, that is just a garden, we are His people. He loves us, tenderly cares for us, weeds us and feeds us. He gives us the best soil, prunes us in just the right places and gives us sunlight and water so we have all we need for the day.

And then the rains come in life. And we allow ourselves to get swept away. We get angry, we get depressed, we don't hold on, we lose hope...our strength to grow.

I don't know who you are, where you've been, what you have been through and are going through right now. I do know the garden of my own life and how there is a trail of rocks and weeds, broken branches and dirt that needs tilling. I also know is there is a God who loves me, who wants to grow, even me, to produce a harvest that I could never even imagine.

I also know He has a plan for your life. The pruning and tilling are not going to be easy. In fact, they often hurt, but oh, oh the harvest. So beyond words worth it!

Is your hope in Him today? He has ALL you need.

"Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. Habakkuk 1:4-6