Yesterday as I was clearing the debris from a plot of ground we have just newly tilled, it dawned on me...........
The first thing that caught my eye was my diamond ring....it stood out so much more against a background of dirt......the sun would catch it and even if my hand was covered in dirt, it would shine through! hmmmm
That got me thinking about a diamond in the rough, light shining in darkness, and I was in my element then....pondering...I love pondering.........
How many of us are willing to really get our hands dirty?
I don't think we can live a very fulfilling and meaningful life if we are not willing to dig a little in the dirt.....and get our hands dirty.......it is very easy to wash and clean our hands AFTER the job is done...but it seems like too many people now days are not even willing to get them dirty to start with.....wanting everything done for them...let someone else get their hands dirty...
I don't mind the dirt...I rather enjoy digging around in it....because I KNOW I can get clean after the work is done...
We are entering into the part of the growing season that I had rather skip over...and that is maintenance...pulling weeds.. and keeping the critters off of everything that is growing and producing....most of the planting is done for the summer..the tomatoes are ripening, the cucumbers are overflowing, beets, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, eggplant, beans, beans and more beans, peas are planted, and lots and lots of flowers...now the fun part of seeing every morning what is newly blooming..and what needs picking.....
It took a lot of hand washing to get to this point in the season.....my hands have seen a LOT of dirty days...they get rough but there is lotion for that...and soap to remove the aftermath of digging and planting.......
and another thing I thought of yesterday..we have really rocky soil....makes me miss my south Georgia upbringing where I never saw rocks in the soil...hardly ever...we have enough to build walls and walkways with..but I digress..I will never get used to removing the rocks from the dirt before I plant..but it is a necessary part of gardening here...so I do it..it made me think about our hearts as I was raking and gathering all of the rocks to get the earth suitable for planting....how many of us have all of these hard places in our heart and we just plant right over them and then wonder why the seeds we plant don't thrive and grow well in our lives???
It would serve us well to do a little digging in our hearts..to remove the stones..to get rid of the hard places...to do a little maintenance first before we plant something new in there.. to forgive that person that you don't want to forgive...to let it go....get rid of that hardness...get that heart to a soft and easily cultivated place so that seeds will grow well........
and if that is not the case, then do a little maintenance...get those weeds out before they choke the new growth..don't let them just continue to grow alongside the healthy plants in your heart...they will overtake the good things....and grow long tap roots and be most difficult to remove if we do not get them out early..as soon as we recognize them as weeds.......
I want my heart to be healthy and fruitful...to be able to look at my heart and say..It is well with my soul......as evidenced by the fruit of my life..........I want good fruit.....a soft heart...a safe place for healthy plants to grow...
and I want these things for you too.....
so get your hands dirty..it is where diamonds shine..through the dirt....and when the stones have been removed...wash your hands clean and get some lotion to heal the rough spots........
Live life on purpose...don't just sit around admiring manicured nails and clean hands that never get dirty.....help someone else if you are already perfect and don't need this........
from dirt comes a lot of fruitfulness if it is handled correctly.....
The first thing that caught my eye was my diamond ring....it stood out so much more against a background of dirt......the sun would catch it and even if my hand was covered in dirt, it would shine through! hmmmm
That got me thinking about a diamond in the rough, light shining in darkness, and I was in my element then....pondering...I love pondering.........
How many of us are willing to really get our hands dirty?
I don't think we can live a very fulfilling and meaningful life if we are not willing to dig a little in the dirt.....and get our hands dirty.......it is very easy to wash and clean our hands AFTER the job is done...but it seems like too many people now days are not even willing to get them dirty to start with.....wanting everything done for them...let someone else get their hands dirty...
I don't mind the dirt...I rather enjoy digging around in it....because I KNOW I can get clean after the work is done...
We are entering into the part of the growing season that I had rather skip over...and that is maintenance...pulling weeds.. and keeping the critters off of everything that is growing and producing....most of the planting is done for the summer..the tomatoes are ripening, the cucumbers are overflowing, beets, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, eggplant, beans, beans and more beans, peas are planted, and lots and lots of flowers...now the fun part of seeing every morning what is newly blooming..and what needs picking.....
It took a lot of hand washing to get to this point in the season.....my hands have seen a LOT of dirty days...they get rough but there is lotion for that...and soap to remove the aftermath of digging and planting.......
and another thing I thought of yesterday..we have really rocky soil....makes me miss my south Georgia upbringing where I never saw rocks in the soil...hardly ever...we have enough to build walls and walkways with..but I digress..I will never get used to removing the rocks from the dirt before I plant..but it is a necessary part of gardening here...so I do it..it made me think about our hearts as I was raking and gathering all of the rocks to get the earth suitable for planting....how many of us have all of these hard places in our heart and we just plant right over them and then wonder why the seeds we plant don't thrive and grow well in our lives???
It would serve us well to do a little digging in our hearts..to remove the stones..to get rid of the hard places...to do a little maintenance first before we plant something new in there.. to forgive that person that you don't want to forgive...to let it go....get rid of that hardness...get that heart to a soft and easily cultivated place so that seeds will grow well........
and if that is not the case, then do a little maintenance...get those weeds out before they choke the new growth..don't let them just continue to grow alongside the healthy plants in your heart...they will overtake the good things....and grow long tap roots and be most difficult to remove if we do not get them out early..as soon as we recognize them as weeds.......
I want my heart to be healthy and fruitful...to be able to look at my heart and say..It is well with my soul......as evidenced by the fruit of my life..........I want good fruit.....a soft heart...a safe place for healthy plants to grow...
and I want these things for you too.....
so get your hands dirty..it is where diamonds shine..through the dirt....and when the stones have been removed...wash your hands clean and get some lotion to heal the rough spots........
Live life on purpose...don't just sit around admiring manicured nails and clean hands that never get dirty.....help someone else if you are already perfect and don't need this........
from dirt comes a lot of fruitfulness if it is handled correctly.....
thank you so much for coming by today....I appreciate each and every one of you..
I read all of your comments and they are like little gifts to me..thank you.....
I hope to see you again soon...
Afternoon my sweet friend, you have deep and true thoughts today. I never wear gloves and get my hands dirty all the time in the garden. The deeper thought you so well got into makes me think I must confess each day and clean up my act. We have the two wee grand kids and I am not allowed to talk about them on the blog. Do pray for us as one of Joe's daughters does not speak to us yet we have her child for three weeks. Makes for an interesting situation. xo, O
ReplyDeleteOK - you nailed me! I am perfect and do not need this - hahahaha!! Kidding, of course, but I do not like to get dirty, so you started me thinking... That is what you always do - thanks.
ReplyDeleteI always start off wearing gloves in the garden but they soon get discarded - loving your philosophy on life.
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