Saturday, October 6, 2012

Weeding in "Our Space"

We've been doing some minor alterations at home. It's funny how when you make one part of the house look nice, it shows up all the minor imperfections that you have learnt to overlook, and suddenly you are unable to live with them anymore! Does this happen with you too, or is it just us? Anyway, this is where the story of our garden comes in.

About 16 years ago we lived in a place where gardening was easy. Here, we have challenges with sandy soil, wind, snails, cutworm and caterpillars. When we first moved here, we did try to create a nice garden, but everything we planted disappeared almost overnight. We just gave up and maintained what was there.  BUT NOW... we have decided to give it another try and have been back and forth to the nursery and madly planting. Of course, now that the plants are in, my lawn is an irritation, because after all these years, I have not weeded it ever, with the result that there is possibly more weed than lawn.

As I was sitting on the grass, with my weeding fork, feeling very satisfied at being able to pull up the weeds with the roots intact, (ensuring that this would be the end of them), I remembered how often God used to speak to me when I gardened before. It was like "our space". As I pulled up another weed, I wished I had paid more attention to my lawn, because then the weeds would not have spread so far. If I could just pull it out as soon as it showed its face, I would not be overcome with them.

As if on queue, I was reminded of a discussion at Bible School recently while studying Corinthians, of how Paul used the example of yeast for how sin spreads when not dealt with. For me, who avoids baking and the kitchen like the plague, yeast would not be an example I would use. However, sitting in the middle of a patch of lawn, and seeing how one weed had been allowed to run free, it had not only affected my lawn, but had run riot and woven in among the grass to a point where it was difficult to separate the two. 




I don't believe in "sin management" in terms of being so inward focused in that that is all we do, but I think it's good to take a look at our lives every so often, especially if convicted by something, to make sure there is nothing left untended that will root, run riot and stop us being able to discern what is good and pure, and that which may need to be rooted out.

Having said all that - I am so thankful for my man, the sun, the garden, for new plants, our dogs who take turns to dig up our new plants / or eat them, for water to water them, and eyes to see them with.

I guess God picked up "our space" again too.

Life is beautiful.

1 comment:

  1. I think you know that this was a place and a way that God used to speak to me too . . .
    I love that your new garden is reviving this palce of connecting with Him!

    ReplyDelete

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