Tend Your Garden: Post #9

Every February I survey our landscape as we are coming out of Winter and enter into Spring. The lawn is still dormant, the garden beds need mulch replenishing, those pesky green weeds are thriving in every nook and corner.  The buds on the crepe myrtle are early, the old, tired, diseased Ornamental Peach tree needs to be taken down. An entire bed needs to be reworked, plants renewed or moved because the landscape has changed over the past 2 years with maintenance of the plants and trees. The Brown Oasis has had its' seasons. I am in awe at how the area changes as plants reach their peak and die or overgrowth needs control or removing a tree causes other plants to suffer and if they don't move they die.

So, every March I get out my trusty 5 gallon bucket, weeding tool, thatching rake and lawn bags and methodically get to work taking care of the little plot of land God has blessed our family with. These are the small things I do to just keep the scape maintained. I know I have some bigger monsters to tackle in order to keep the scape healthy or beautiful. It's always a work in progress.  I enjoy this time because I use it to pour my heart out to God, there are no distractions. Well, maybe my dog shaking the bushes or the squirrels running along the fence to tease the dog or the birds singing to each other back and forth cause me to sit a little too long observing.  No, those aren't really distractions, they just enhance my time with God.

Orchid
By Alex and Chandra Brown

Recently, in my walk with Jesus there has been great testing. I have come to accept it as His loving tools in the changing, shaping and molding of my heart. He's required I do things, say things, be silent, take action, not take action. I truly feel like I have entered God's boot camp and the Holy Spirit is the drill master. He's training me for the future. I know not what that entails but if the training is a glimpse it makes me wonder what is in store. I literally have had to obey His command down to the last detail.  Like walking the tight rope. You don't pay close attention, you may slip. Although God has confirmed I am His and He won't let that happen as long as I stay in Him.

I find it interesting some of the training involves casting down any thought that is not from Him.  (2 Corinthians 10:5) Stuff you know because He's shown you, but now the ante is upped and the testing is coming from the outside. Kind of like a target course. A book pops up from an acquaintance with questionable content (I John 4:5). Spend time on it or Shoot it down. Shoot it down! A topic of conversation. I could stay quiet or I could speak the truth. Speak the truth.  Listening to speakers in varied positions of authority and hearing discrepancies. Should I stay silent, other time bring up the idiosyncrasy, run past it or spend time on it. Sometimes the training requires both, it takes discernment to know when to do which.  Requiring you to scuttle something at His command, knowing it may be a total loss but you must do it anyway. Do I trust and act or question and fail? No, I DID it, almighty Lord I did it and am willing to bare the consequences regardless of outcome. My commander ordered it! (I John 2:20)

Let's just say, the boot camp is tiring. I need some real R&R. Where's my leave? I hope I come out on the other end the individual useful for Your service and not a wash out.  At least you aren't like R. Lee Ermy, your commands are forceful but gentle. Ha, I hope soon I can look back and truly believe this Ermy quote, "It's been a pretty fun ride to tell the truth."

So, how does my military talk fit in with a gardening post?  In order to make a military unit function properly, it takes wearing down the will to an utterly subjected position so you'll trust your commander implicitly. Shifty Powers from Band of Brothers embodies this picture perfectly. He's a good study, I won't go into what he did here but I urge you to look him up. In gardening; laying waste to a land helps cause new growth in the future. At first it is harsh, brutal, looks like war and heavy bombing hit the place. Scorched earth has it's connotative meaning for a reason. Sometimes you cut things back, remove items entirely, burn those dead leaves, hack at left over tree stumps and your landscape looks like hell but there is purpose in all of that which leads to a plan for something better. The key is to keep to the plan and never quit. I will plan to remove the diseased tree, move the plants that can't make it now that the tree is gone and re-work that area into a beautiful new project for our benefit.

I know that God is doing a good work with in me and the Victory will be His and something I can rejoice in as the things He requires will benefit me and hopefully others.

I leave with a quote from ol' Shifty-

"Dig your foxholes deep
Keep your head down
And make damn sure you rifle doesn't jam!"

Shifty

Powers, Age 81, Words to a Young Soldier

NOTE: Of course I chose a delicate orchid as my inspiration for this post. With all this battle talk a woman needs something soft and pretty!