I love that God speaks to me when I least expect it, even when I'm not listening.
A few weeks ago, while at my acupuncture appointment, I was lamenting the state of my garden ... it hadn't done as well as I'd hoped and the weeds had gotten away from me. I needed better soil and should have spent more time ... and on and on I went. Quietly Heather, my acupuncturist, interjected, saying she thought my garden had done quite well. The green beans were plentiful and happy, as were the potatoes. There were more tomatoes than we could eat, and there had been enough peas early in the season to add to our salads. The cantaloupe were few, but sweet and we would have pumpkins for Fall carving. Plus my newly planted grapes were doing well with the promise of fruit in seasons to come. We also had young fruit trees that bloomed and produced their first harvest.
Yes. Heather was right. The garden had done well.
There was so much more than a profusion of weeds - more than vegetables. My family and I spent many hours creating the garden, planting seeds and watching with excitement as plants reached up through the soil in search of the sun. We cared for the plants together and together we picked the produce while youngsters chatted about bugs and teens whispered about crushes. With the heat of the sun on our backs we talked about life.
Sore muscles complained, and an aching back and hips didn't want to move. Yet my body grew stronger. And breathing in the fragrance of damp soil and feeling it between my fingers while sweat rolled down my neck lifted my spirits.
It felt good to be alive.
Life is messy. Sometimes it's makes us groan and we only see the weeds, but if we look more closely there is more - there is hope and love, and people blooming as they reach for the Son.
There will always be weeds. They can wind around our feet and try to trip us up. Even so, there is living and loving to be done, and if we look with our hearts and our spirit we will see the beauty our eyes cannot see.
Grace and peace to you from God.
