How does your garden grow?
My oh my, the time does fly!!
May Day?
Done.
Mother's Day?
Done.
Memorial Day?
Done.
Memorial Day?
Done.
Computer died?
Done & Done!
So, until my new computer comes in & my son-in-law transfers all of my data from my old computer to my new one, I have been trying to find a way to improvise. It took awhile, but here I am on this almost last day of May.
& this month has been wildly busy also, especially the last couple of weeks because of preparing the garden, mowing, planting, all of the things that go with early Spring, (Early for those of us in the northern hinterlands!) where one day one can wear short sleeved blouses, capris & sandals, & the next day wear coats, mittens & long underwear! But we have made it to the place where we can be pretty sure that the winter apparel days are over. Although I remember one year ( I may have mentioned this before) that I wore the aforementioned winter garb on Memorial Day, but mowed my lawn anyway just to be defiant. I was not a happy camper. I may have even done some yelling at the weather. Godliness with contentment was not gained that day in my life.
Not very pretty. But I have improved over the years.
This may be a slight exaggeration.
😇😇😇😇😇😇
The green around here is so vibrant it takes my breath away. The lawn is freckled with dandelions. Actually it looks more like it has a case of dandelion measles! But in early Spring before flowers begin to bloom, they are welcome little sunburst harbingers of delight to the eyes, announcing good tidings of things to come.
I love going shopping for flowers to plant around our yard. It really gets my perk-o-later going, the colors, the fragrances, all the many varieties of EVERYTHING!
Just a few of my purchased plantings. Such a feast for the eyes & olfactory senses!
For the first time though, my daughter decided to start flowers from seeds. It is very satisfying to see flowers start to grow out of rich, brown dirt & you almost take on the role of 'parent' to the baby seeds, that sprout tiny shoots, a preview of things to come.
It got me to thinking about sowing & reaping. & how important it is to sow the right kind of seed for a good productive harvest. Those kinds of harvest bless everyone. Also, what are we sowing in the garden of others? The heart's gardens I mean.
I read a book years ago entitled "The Garden At The Edge Of Beyond" by Michael Phillips. It is one of my favorite books, thus I have read it many times. There is a chapter in it called, "The Bed of Tiny Moments", so named for our own personal 'flower beds' of all of the choices that we have made throughout our lives. Some of the fragrances from the flowers were delightful. Some had a putrid stench. Let me quote a portion of this chapter.
""Every time you made a choice, however small, you turned the central, innermost part of you into something slightly different than it was before - either more in love with itself or more committed to the service of others, more desirous of gratifying its own hungers or more eager to lay them aside, more intent to feed its independence or looking instead for opportunities to yield that independence to Him who made you...."
Let me take that another step further. Every choice that you & I make, good or bad, doesn't stop with us. It touches the lives of everyone & everything on our planet.
"I'm only hurting myself." False. "The wages of sin is death." & that is universal, not just self-affecting. Death does not discriminate.
The Parable of the seeds in the 4th chapter in the book of Mark in the Bible is a great illustration of choices. I refer to the seed sown on thorny ground, Jesus speaking,
"Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, & the cares of this world, (choice)the deceitfulness of riches, (choice) & the desire for other things (choice again) entering in, choke the word, & it becomes unfruitful. " An unproductive, ravished garden, good only for burning.
& then there's this garden. Again, Jesus speaking.
"But these (seeds) are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, & bear fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, & some a hundred."
I'm sure most everyone has heard of 'The Butterfly Effect.' In essence,
"A small change can make much bigger changes happen; one small incident (or in other words, choice) can have a big impact on the future. "
Some 'Butterfly Effect' choices are prefaced by "what if".
The self-reproaching choices of, 'what if I hadn't done this or that,' that could have brought sorrow, harm or even death to another. & let me say there is forgiveness, grace, & even redemption, because of Jesus for these choices.
Then, there are other 'Butterfly Effect' choices that bring ongoing, even eternal, life. When someone decides to follow Jesus because of our influence on their lives, Wow! The ultimate 'Butterfly Effect'! The course of history is changed & not just the personal course. Imagine that. The course of history is or can be changed in someone's life, or our own, even our world, because of our choices. When we put it in terms like that, there really is no such thing as a small or unimportant choice. Those little choice seeds that we sow every day of our lives. They matter. Oh yes, they matter. That's why it's so important to plant, or purposefully sow good seed. Our seeds of choice connect us, because our choices affect each other. Knowing my heart can be prone to selfish or harmful choices, I don't trust myself in the choice-making department sometimes.
"The heart is deceitful above all things & desperately wicked. No one knows how truly bad it is." (from the book of Isaiah) Ouch!
Even the Apostle Paul said, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do. But the evil I will not to do, I do!" & I will go on to say, that a lot of times, I think I'm making a good choice & it turns out to have stinky repercussions. What a dilemma! Now what?!?
That's the same thing Paul said.
"Oh wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" or in other words, NOW WHAT?!?
His very next beautiful words,
" I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Of course. The antidote. Jesus.
We all fit into both 'Butterfly Effect' categories in our lives. Regrets & celebrations. But we can purpose to be in the second category. Here's one way I do it. I ask Jesus to give me grace to make choices that produce life every day. & every single day is brand new. You can start making good, life-producing seed choices beginning today, even this very moment. How does your garden grow? How does your garden grow? By making Jesus inspired seed choices that produce life. Your garden will grow alright. & what 'Butterfly Effect's it will have. How does your garden grow? For Jesus? If it does...Wow. What a harvest.
Raintree perk of the day:
I will make a choice today that will have a life-giving 'Butterfly Effect' in my world.
😇😇😇😇😇😇
The green around here is so vibrant it takes my breath away. The lawn is freckled with dandelions. Actually it looks more like it has a case of dandelion measles! But in early Spring before flowers begin to bloom, they are welcome little sunburst harbingers of delight to the eyes, announcing good tidings of things to come.
I love going shopping for flowers to plant around our yard. It really gets my perk-o-later going, the colors, the fragrances, all the many varieties of EVERYTHING!
Just a few of my purchased plantings. Such a feast for the eyes & olfactory senses!
For the first time though, my daughter decided to start flowers from seeds. It is very satisfying to see flowers start to grow out of rich, brown dirt & you almost take on the role of 'parent' to the baby seeds, that sprout tiny shoots, a preview of things to come.
It got me to thinking about sowing & reaping. & how important it is to sow the right kind of seed for a good productive harvest. Those kinds of harvest bless everyone. Also, what are we sowing in the garden of others? The heart's gardens I mean.
I read a book years ago entitled "The Garden At The Edge Of Beyond" by Michael Phillips. It is one of my favorite books, thus I have read it many times. There is a chapter in it called, "The Bed of Tiny Moments", so named for our own personal 'flower beds' of all of the choices that we have made throughout our lives. Some of the fragrances from the flowers were delightful. Some had a putrid stench. Let me quote a portion of this chapter.
""Every time you made a choice, however small, you turned the central, innermost part of you into something slightly different than it was before - either more in love with itself or more committed to the service of others, more desirous of gratifying its own hungers or more eager to lay them aside, more intent to feed its independence or looking instead for opportunities to yield that independence to Him who made you...."
Let me take that another step further. Every choice that you & I make, good or bad, doesn't stop with us. It touches the lives of everyone & everything on our planet.
"I'm only hurting myself." False. "The wages of sin is death." & that is universal, not just self-affecting. Death does not discriminate.
The Parable of the seeds in the 4th chapter in the book of Mark in the Bible is a great illustration of choices. I refer to the seed sown on thorny ground, Jesus speaking,
"Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, & the cares of this world, (choice)the deceitfulness of riches, (choice) & the desire for other things (choice again) entering in, choke the word, & it becomes unfruitful. " An unproductive, ravished garden, good only for burning.
& then there's this garden. Again, Jesus speaking.
"But these (seeds) are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, & bear fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, & some a hundred."
I'm sure most everyone has heard of 'The Butterfly Effect.' In essence,
"A small change can make much bigger changes happen; one small incident (or in other words, choice) can have a big impact on the future. "
Some 'Butterfly Effect' choices are prefaced by "what if".
The self-reproaching choices of, 'what if I hadn't done this or that,' that could have brought sorrow, harm or even death to another. & let me say there is forgiveness, grace, & even redemption, because of Jesus for these choices.
Then, there are other 'Butterfly Effect' choices that bring ongoing, even eternal, life. When someone decides to follow Jesus because of our influence on their lives, Wow! The ultimate 'Butterfly Effect'! The course of history is changed & not just the personal course. Imagine that. The course of history is or can be changed in someone's life, or our own, even our world, because of our choices. When we put it in terms like that, there really is no such thing as a small or unimportant choice. Those little choice seeds that we sow every day of our lives. They matter. Oh yes, they matter. That's why it's so important to plant, or purposefully sow good seed. Our seeds of choice connect us, because our choices affect each other. Knowing my heart can be prone to selfish or harmful choices, I don't trust myself in the choice-making department sometimes.
"The heart is deceitful above all things & desperately wicked. No one knows how truly bad it is." (from the book of Isaiah) Ouch!
Even the Apostle Paul said, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do. But the evil I will not to do, I do!" & I will go on to say, that a lot of times, I think I'm making a good choice & it turns out to have stinky repercussions. What a dilemma! Now what?!?
That's the same thing Paul said.
"Oh wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" or in other words, NOW WHAT?!?
His very next beautiful words,
" I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Of course. The antidote. Jesus.
We all fit into both 'Butterfly Effect' categories in our lives. Regrets & celebrations. But we can purpose to be in the second category. Here's one way I do it. I ask Jesus to give me grace to make choices that produce life every day. & every single day is brand new. You can start making good, life-producing seed choices beginning today, even this very moment. How does your garden grow? How does your garden grow? By making Jesus inspired seed choices that produce life. Your garden will grow alright. & what 'Butterfly Effect's it will have. How does your garden grow? For Jesus? If it does...Wow. What a harvest.
I will make a choice today that will have a life-giving 'Butterfly Effect' in my world.
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