weeding

i've been thinking a lot about weeds,
particularly the ones in the parable of the sower.
in the first two scenarios the seeds didn't really get much of a chance:
birds ate 'em or the sun scorched 'em because they didn't really have good roots.

but in the third scenario,
the weeds,
the seeds were able to burrow down & begin to grow.

their success was compromised not by the soil but by the setting.

had they not succumbed to the distractions, temptations, & life worries,
they would have flourished.
and that is what sticks with me.

how much of my growth is compromised by my setting & its effect on me?
what are the weeds that twist around & choke out the life developing within me?

i've been thinking about weeds so i can get better at identifying them,
so i can find better soil & become a tree.

un-compartmentalizing

here's my geek moment of the day:
i was looking at the word "Goals" & realized that if you put the a & l closer to each other...
...it says "Gods".
(which i interpreted to be "God's".)

so here's why i allowed that thought to take up more than a nanosecond of my time:
i have a tendency to keep things separate.
i would set my goals for the day, week, month, year, whatever,
and then i'd think,
"oh, i should really include God somewhere in there."

so i'd give Him a goal just for Him.
and keep the rest mine.

so today, looking at my goals for 2009, i thought to myself,
"have i included God in all of them?
after all, i am His child, and i'm totally wacko in love with Him.
why wouldn't i make sure that He's part of these?"

since i couldn't find an answer to that last question, i'm praying over the goals to make sure they're in line with my loving Daddy's leading.

happy new year to you all,
and best wishes on setting your 2009 Goals!

garden talk

gardening isn't really my thing.
still, i'm fascinated by the thought of mulching.
being able to use the refuse of plants to produce new & healthy plants is so ingenious to me.

and as i ponder this,
i realize that my Gardener is in the business of mulching.
because i've got a ton of refuse that i've accumulated from

• poor choices
• shameful actions
• skeletons in the closet

and i often don't think anything good can come out of that stuff.

it's a good thing God disagrees with me.
it's a good thing He composts my past & mulches it up to make my present & future beautiful.
the past doesn't get eradicated --
it is made functional for His purposes.

jessica jessica, how does your garden grow?
with lots of loving mulching that i can't do on my own.

tidings of joy & suffering

i find it fascinating that this is a season of both
gladness
&
sorrow.

for some, there is gratitude for the gift of life & the opportunity to share all that it means.
for others, there is dread of the stress & sense of inadequacy the commercialized holidays bring out.
for even others, there is a depression that sets in from loss, loneliness, & lethargy.

to reduce/eliminate the holiday blues,
we don't send Christmas cards.
we don't have a brag-worthy nativity scene (we don't have one at all, actually).
we do decorate with lots of light.
we don't go to every holiday party we're invited to if we're tired or just need time alone.
we do have candles & scents that remind us that this is a special time.
we do make time to connect with others & share our thankfulness.


we only include elements into our celebration that make this a joyous occasion.

i want to wish everyone blessings during this month of hope,
and rest amongst the insanity.

breathe in the color,
transcend the chaos,
and feel the deep calm that the Gift of Christmas brings to us.

peace.

another gift

today, i discovered the trees outside my office building are cottonwood.

the mouth trap

as i read through proverbs,
there is a lot of attention paid to the mess our mouths can get us in.

gossip, complaining, breaking confidences, & just being stupid,
it's all mentioned on the "avoid" list.

but, gosh, it's so hard to break those habits!

i've been trying to cut down on my negative word quota,
and i'm finding it would be a whole lot easier if it weren't for having other people around.
instant popularity is not found in saying,
"no thanks, i'm not into talking about other people in a slanderous manner."

however, my outlook is improving as i pipe up with thankfulness.
at the risk of sounding pollyannaish,
i'm looking on the brightside because it's a heck of a lot more attractive.

God rewards those who follow His advice.
i'm working to make my words more attractive to Him.
who wants to join me?

leaning on that which stands on its own

it's tough to keep track of what i depend on.
i have a list of plans:
plan a, plan b, plan c...
always something to back up the plan preceding it so i don't feel "out of control".

but these plans are really only illusions,
and this gets shoved in my face as often as God remembers to show love to me.

He doesn't like me depending on anything other than Him,
and rightly so:
there is nothing outside of Him that can stand on its own.

when i trust in something that lacks a proven perfect track record --
which seems to be everything, last i checked
-- i set myself up to be let down.

my Daddy disciplines those He loves.
not just when we mess up, but when we need to learn self-discipline.
the fruit of the Spirit, self-control.
He loves me & hurts when i choose another thing to lean on.
something inferior to Him.
how illogical to lean on something less dependable, eh?

so today i'm declaring that i'm going to put my trust in what works.
want to join me?
(hint: it's not money or career.)