What's under there?

3:14 p.m. Today's project was to clear out the last of the non-flowering flowers, AKA weeds, out of the garden in preparation for new arrivals, both seeds and seedlings, for the summer garden.

It had been a quirky late morning after church and grocery shopping. We had set up the Freedom Alert system base unit up in our bedroom last night. I put it on "Test Mode" to check the range this morning as we drove up to the house. The end of the driveway is out of range, but my daily hangout, the garden, is in. Cool! Not leaving well enough alone, I thought I would clip the tiny unit to my belt loop to keep it from swinging from my neck, and that worked okay until I decided to move the clip. Suddenly the red light flashed and it started dialing 911!! I quickly shut it off, but not quickly enough. Within the next few seconds, there was a call on my cell. I was embarassed to pick it up, but realized that if I didn't, the police would come over--and I'd probably get a lecture and a false alarm fine..."Hello," I answered. "Riverside Police Department. Is there a problem there, ma'am?" the dispatcher asked. For some reason, I felt compelled to gave her my full name, then told her my issue. I silently wondered if I sounded realistic enough, or was I a lying hostage? She muttered "okay," as I apologized profusely in utter humiliation for having caused trouble for the police department. As James 4:6 says, "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." And boy, did I need grace right then! (You better believe the alert pendant is now back on my neck!)

Steve and I went out to the garden to root out the flowers and water all of the rows. It's amazing how just a few days of sun can dry out the soil. How like us believers, so in need of a daily drink of the Word, that daily time of cleansing by the Living Water of the Holy Spirit! Yesterday's portion isn't good enough, seeing all of the events that concern each of us, and the inner changes even adults experience daily! Our perspective on people and issues ebbs and flows depending on new facts that come to light on even small matters! I need daily wisdom and guidance from God's Word and time spent in prayer to reveal both His heart and mine!

As He often does, the Lord had a little "sweetener" for us as we finished our work . Underneath the tall flower stems were some weak, stretched-out plants that looked an awful lot like lettuce!Since these were mixed wildflowers I couldn't be sure, but on further inspection, the plants were not only the right shape and color, but spaced exactly a foot apart! What undoubtedly happened was that this lettuce type germinated so slowly that I just went ahead and broadcast my flower seed, figuring that if the lettuce came up at all, it would stand out from the flowers. But the flowers ran amuck, allowing precious little light to reach down to the lettuce plants.

Now the lettuce will get the light it needs to thrive!!

You and I can find ourselves so busy doing the next thing, rushing to cover up seeming deficiencies in our lives, that we don't wait for the in-depth work God wants to do in our character! We are planting fast-growing deeds and accomplishments while He is slowly and carefully constructing a life from the ground up, from that "dust" to which we will all return one day. "And the LORD God formed man out of the dust of the ground..." (Genesis 2:7a)

I'll be a lot better person if I allow God to do the planting, watering, germinating and growing that I need to be my best, fit for the Master's use!!