Growth

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I admit, I am not a gardener. I do not have a green thumb. And I am not one to spend days in a garden planting and weeding. As a matter of fact, I generally plant and weed in the early spring and expect the garden to remain in good shape throughout the summer.

The other day, however, I spent 6 hours in just one garden area of my backyard weeding and mulching. Believe it or not, I had actually weeded this area in early spring. The problem was I had never covered it with mulch, leaving it to fend for itself. A big mistake. Soil, sunlight and plenty of rain promotes growth. What grew were weeds. Wow, did they flourish! This caused the garden to look like chaos and choked out the the desirable plants.

I know that if I had covered this area in mulch and tended to it, it would have remained a beautiful area. A protective layer of mulch and a commitment to nurture this garden would have kept the weeds at bay.

What about the “weeds” in our life? You know, things like selfishness, worry, busyness, chasing wealth, trying to please others, gossip, hurt, insecurities, addictions, distractions and so many more.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes a weed like this: a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth. One that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.

We allow these types of weeds to spring up in our life (our garden) all the time. We ignore them, and they flourish. Eventually, they have us gripped so tight. Choking our joy. Creating chaos in our lives.

We pull them. And everything is fine.

Or is it?

Have you ever pulled weeds only to see them grow back thicker the next time? Choking out the desirable plants, or in life…fruit of the spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

Why do you suppose that is?

I have found that in my life, I can’t just pull the weeds and forget about them. I need to ask God to cover each situation I am dealing with, with grace and mercy. And I must commit to nurturing my garden, not neglect it. If I don’t, the weed will slowly find a way to creep back in and take over. That’s what weeds do.

How many times have you pulled “weeds” out of your life? Do you find yourself pulling the same ones over and over? Ask God to cover the situation in a protective layer of mulch, “grace and mercy”, and then be sure to nurture your garden.

Beautiful gardens do not grow naturally. Weeds do!

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” – Lady Bird Johnson

I don’t know about you, but I suffer terribly from pollen allergies in the spring! Because of that, this season is one of my most difficult each year. That nasty yellow layer of dust floating in the air and covering everything in sight can be so thick at times, that it is hard to tell the true color of some outdoor objects.

There are weeks in April that I am on two, not one, but two different oral antihistamines, allergy eye drops and allergy nasal spray all at the same time. This usually helps give me some relief, but only for short periods of time. I am uncomfortable, annoyed and down right miserable with red, swollen, watery and extremely itchy eyes!

Being outside this time of year is a real struggle for me. Yet, that is exactly where I want to be! The weather is perfect. And as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, my favorite form of exercise is walking outside.

I had this idea the other morning when I left to walk, that if I wore sunglasses and a baseball cap and essentially walked with my head down, I would be able to stop the pollen from irritating my eyes. Nope. It didn’t work. I could not avoid the irritation of the pollen.

Finally I gave up trying to avoid the pollen. I stopped and looked up. What I saw was incredible. The street was lined with beautiful pink flowering trees. The culprit of the pollen!

I realized then, had I continued looking down, trying to avoid the pollen, I would have missed the beautiful blooms.

It was then that I thought, “Although I am suffering through the irritation of the pollen now, I will be able to enjoy new blooms later!”

Wow. Isn’t that true. For it is the pollen that leads to the production of seeds that will create new plants to grow and bloom.

We all experience seasons of life that are uncomfortable and annoying. These circumstances and situations can be thought of as our “pollen”. They make us irritated and downright miserable. We lose out on a promotion at work. We are being emotionally drained in a relationship. We learn we have to move our family to a new town. An acquaintance/family member feels the need to always give unsolicited advice. We feel our morning or daily routine is full of chaos. And so on.

We often can’t avoid the “pollen”. But we can bloom because of it.

For it is during this season of discomfort that we grow and learn. We learn to speak up for ourselves or figure out what we need to do to receive the next promotion (even if that means changing jobs). We learn to end toxic relationships and set limits on others. We learn to embrace the opportunity for new beginnings. We learn to protect our time. And we learn better ways to do things to create a less chaotic day. We learn. We grow. We bloom!

Look up. Turn your eyes to God.

“I will be like the dew to Israel. It will blossom like a lily. Like the cedar trees in Lebanon, its roots will be firm. The people will be like spreading branches. They will be like the beautiful olive trees. They will be like the sweet-smelling cedars in Lebanon.” Hosea 14:5-6 (International Children’s Bible)

Don’t allow this uncomfortable season of life to discourage you. Push through it and allow the “pollen” to help you grow and bloom.