Leaning on the Tree


I was jogging past this field the other day and it really just struck me how much it seemed like a total oxymoron. The entire field is brown and littered with trash. And there's a highway running right behind it (if you look closely, you can see some nice, shiny cars speeding past). The field looks totally barren at this point, except for some beautiful patches of green grass just to the right of a wonderful, majestic tree.


Sometimes, I think we're so busy in our day-to-day lives rushing here and there that we don't take the time to really enjoy the things around us. And sometimes, even when things look barren, there is good soil deep down in all of us that can bring forth green grass and beautiful trees. Yep, there may be trash in your field. Someone else might have put it there, or maybe you put it there yourself (ugh). But, even underneath all of that, there's STILL good soil.


So, I'm going to take some time today and focus on the good soil that God has put deep down inside of me. Oh how it would warm His heart to grow something in my field that would glorify Him. And the more stuff we grow in His name, the less room we have for any trash that tries to litter our field.

A Rainy Day

For some reason, I've been really into this whole weather thing lately....


How cool is it that the rain that falls from the heavens in the Spring gets to help make so many beautiful things: Purple tulips, green grass, bright yellow daffodils, red roses. None of that would happen without the rain.


Reminds me of God raining his Spirit down into us, if we let Him. We're all these cracked and broken vessels. But, if we allow the Lord to pour His Spirit into us, it's amazing how He can restore and clean up absolutely anything and everything. And the awesome part is, He turns us into something absolutely beautiful.


Every one of us is a unique vessel. And when we allow the Spirit to flow through us, amazing and completely unique things are brought out of us. We become that unique red rose or that bright yellow daffodil. And there's no one else like us in the world. So, instead of comparing ourselves to each other, maybe we should just ask the Lord to rain down on us. Then, we can find out just how beautiful we all truly are (yes, that includes YOU).

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. 2 Tim 2:21


Happy Rainy Day!

A New Season

Aaaah, Spring has sprung! I absolutely LOVE warm weather. The tree outside my window has started to bud and even some bees are starting to hover around it. Anyone who knows me knows a sistah will take off in a full sprint when there are bees around. But, when I can watch them from my window, it's a beautiful sight.


The changes in seasons are so reflective of different stages in our lives. You know, in the winter, we're all bundled up, and scrambling to get inside where it's safe and warm. Reminds me of that season when we're saving up energy, maybe learning something new or training so that when it's time, we can be ready to put our new stuff to use. We're working on those pretty little buds for spring.

Then Spring comes and we've got our buds ready to bloom. It's time to shine! But, it still takes time and patience. Buds don't become leaves overnight. Grass doesn't grow overnight. And in the Midwest, there's a lot of thunderstorms that accompany those new Spring colors. But, if we keep going, we get all the water and sunshine we need to really test our new-found winter skills.


And by Summer, we're in full bloom! We're growing. The sun is shining. We've made it thru the stormy weather (great song, by the way) and we're fulfilling that God-given purpose in our lives. What a beautiful thing!


Then Fall comes and it's time to reap the harvest of all of the hard work. Things begin to slow down. Leaves begin to fall, but not without showing their most beautiful colors. We start to wind down for Winter and the renewal process begins again. I love it! It seems so perfect in every way.


BUT, sometimes I've been out of season. You ever try to grow something without planting a seed? Or try to reap the harvest of something that you never watered? Or maybe you plucked something before it was in full bloom because you ran out of patience. How frustrating! We're always so excited to get to the Spring and Summers in our lives. But, when we do, we get frustrated because we wasted our Winter just wanting it to be over.


Well, I've been there and done that more times than I can count. And for once, it's time to start budding. How awful Spring would be with all the rain and nothing to show for it. How terrible it would be if the trees just decided not to grow any leaves because they were still upset about how cold the winter was. It's time we let our lights shine! You know that cool idea that you've always had, but never done anything about? Yep, we all have 'em. Well, it's time to let that little idea grow. It's time to water that seed. Yes, it will take patience. And it will take work. But, I promise it will be worth it.


SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!