Looking UP

What a morning! We have had sprinkler repair people all over the yard for days, so today was the day to put things back in place in the labyrinth. Just a few path rocks to move and plants to rearrange. And it is another day I am so thankful for the breezy morning, too!

Two new control valves had to be added to the system…and of course they’re in the labyrinth!?!?! It was cool to see that, unbeknownst to the sprinkler dude, the valves were in just the right spot. I just added a few new rocks and presto the eye sore was gone! This whole process had me going around to see what other spots may need to be re-worked.

I got to looking at the paths, just the paths, over and around the whole area…Some narrow ways, some with big markers on the sides, some seem to be dead ends, but aren’t and other paths you really can’t make out from a distance…If you think about it for a second, it kinda looks like our lives!  

Take me by the hand;
Lead me down the path of truth. Psalm 25:5

We may think it would be easier if life were a straight line, but where’s the adventure in that?  

Life is full of twists and turns and God has plans for every one of them. He grows us and matures us down our paths and we can be richer in our relationship with Him for the journey He takes us on. 

He puts big walls where they are needed, little ones elsewhere, a few hills and valleys, and of course our destination is securely set!

Each of us are unique, a story written by God for every one of His dearly loved children. There are billions of people with billions of steps designed for their lives! I just wonder if we have this ‘unique’ thing backwards. I mean He has a plan for each of us and He loves us fully, but let’s not forget that He’s the One, the Only, the Unique God, the Author of our salvation who made all these plans!

As we walk our ‘unique’ path, it can be easy to keep our eyes on the path, head down and nose to the grind stone, as it were…to watch our steps thinking we’re being responsible and stuff.

This morning I stopped to stretch my neck, after all this path checking, and I just looked up. 

What a relief, what a pretty sight! In our own soul care, this is essential! Looking up to the One who’s got it all laid out for us. With God in our gaze, all the stress is gone, the worries handed over to Him fade away (‘cuz He has a path for that person we’re ‘worried’ about, too!) and our path perspective can become His perspective.  

If I keep my eyes on God, I won’t trip over my own feet.

Psalm 25:15

When you have a minute, treat yourself to a few minutes and read all of Psalm 25 

Just Askin'

So, still treating the scale…spraying coffee and soap and thinking on perspective…thought I’d share today’s perspective!

Luke 9:45 says,

”But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it and they were afraid to ask Him ( Jesus) about it.”

For all the not-knowing and grasping at things in life, there is real comfort in this verse for me! Sometimes it is easy to think we would be stronger or more faithful or more whatever, if we had Jesus standing before us like the disciples did. In this verse He was standing right there and they were afraid to ask.

Was it pride to not want to ask in front of the group? (because right after this they argue over who is the greatest among them) Whatever the reason, we all do it ~ get a word, a prompting from Christ and because we don’t understand, we don’t ask or act upon it.

Then, “it was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it.” OK, just a thought, but reverse this verse. They did not grasp it, because it was hidden from them!

It was not clear on purpose. Perhaps, so they/we would have opportunities to be humble of heart and ask? 

Even if we just start with the obvious thought that we can’t know ev-er-y-thing, that alone should propel us towards The One who does.

How often are things not clear to us and we attribute this to lots of things, except God purposefully keeping it from us so we would need to call on Him to answer and guide our steps. If we understood everything first, would it be our natural reaction to trust Him more, or think we’ve got it covered?

And why didn’t they ask? They were afraid. We don’t need to know of what we are asking, we just need to know to ask, to turn from our fears and seek God and His desire in ev-er-y-thing….there is no fear in Love and that’s who HE IS!

“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”

Luke 11:10-13

Scale

It’s pretty yucky stuff and very picky, too!

It quietly begins at the heart of the King Sago Palm, only the Sagos. This little white dot looking thing works its way up the leaf, spot by yucky spot. It is a newly “imported” pest and making its way across the country, blowing in the wind and settling wherever the breezes take them. Well, not here, tho’! I went on a scale eradication mission today.

This lovely King Sago has several heads, so the first job was to clear things out to make some space for the spraying to get to the heart of things. You see scale attacks the heart of the Sago first, then works its way out. If it gets too cold, then it will burrow all the way down into the roots of the plant for months. All the leaves that I cut off were put into a bag to be throw away…not in the brush pile to blow into the neighbor’s yard.

I just kept looking at these little white dots…they don’t look like they could kill you. They’re just little dots, right?

HA! I had to laugh….story of my life! It’s just a little ‘spot’, right? I can’t count high enough to tell you all the ‘spots’ that I let into the heart of things, ugh! 

Well, just like the Sago, we all need to clear a path to our hearts…and make way for the The Exterminator! When I think about it, I may notice (tho’ this is me we’re talking about, so maybe not) the big things in life that get in the way of my walk with the Lord. But, if they’re in the way of our time with Him, then aren’t they already big enough? Just a thought!

 In the pruning of the Sago, I found a couple of lizard eggs. No worries, they’ve been relocated and covered up with some bamboo leaves. Scale do not eat eggs, but they will destroy their home. When you think about it, our own scale can destroy our home, infect our relationships and land in our friend’s yard, too. Had to stop a minute and ask God to show me my scale...to walk better with Him and I sure don't want to infect y'all!

If left untreated, this Sago would die in a matter of months…from the inside out. The Scale actually suck out the juices from the plant, so the last to go is the outer appearance. Wow, so that analogy needs no explanation, right!?!?! Keeping up appearances is so important to we humans, meanwhile we’re horrible at our own soul care. Or perhaps just in denial, dressing in polka dots to justify our spots?

 

All the polka dot dresses in the world wouldn’t disguise this old tree stump on the other side of the fence! I took a peek at my tree stump friend today...hope you know by now what I saw wasn’t a dead stump  

A few years ago, this tree was tall, full of hackberry seeds and feeding every bird for miles! Now, after we lost it during a hurricane, it is home to some happy lizards and few other creatures, I’m sure!

Starting in Luke 3:23 is the introduction of Jesus into public life. It says,

When Jesus entered public life he was about thirty years old, the son (in public perception) of Joseph, who was…

And then the passage goes on to list the lineage back to Adam, to God. I’m thinking, how many people actually thought thru that list, and instead just saw Joseph’s son standing there. Perception, that was my lesson today in the labyrinth. We would be well served, it would be life-giving to our hearts and to others, to think “it” thru all the way to God…

The way You tell me to live is always right;

help me understand it so I can live to the fullest.

Psalm 119:144

Soar, Soak and Sit

I just love the Whitewing! Their cooing in the morning, their delicate coloring and how their colors intensify as they get older. As a matter of fact, I love them so much I designed a whole room in our home around their colors…soothing and soft. Just had to tell you all this about my love of them before I say…they’re really not that bright! We have a lot in common. 

Every year we watch the young ones flutter in with mom and dad for a little corn. They flap, they poke at everyone, well, they generally make a pest out of themselves trying to get fed. Did I mention they are standing ankle deep in corn!?!? Like a lot of us, what they “need” to eat is right there, but they’re waiting for someone else to do the heavy lifting. (and really, how heavy can that corn be?)

This morning I watched as the little baby chachalaca looked up from the bottom rung of the pallet fence. His mom (dad?) was just sitting there resting on the top. Well, little one hopped, slid, jumped and cheeped his way to the top! He then snuggled up and napped a while, too. It took some effort, some thinking it thru, but he made it. 

His older brother was just laying in the middle of one of the paths, sittin’ and soakin’ in the calm moments of the morning. We have watched these birds over the years and it is not always easy going. There are hawks and grackles to chase away from their nests, other chachas and of course people to fend off. But they do know how to sit and soak, to rest and just ‘be’ for a bit when the opportunities come. Maybe I’ll be a chachalaca when I grow up!

God’s got plans for all of us ya know, to soar in His kingdom in ways we cannot fathom. In the US, we have online stuff, Christian bookstores, an endless supply of “soul food”. So why so many  hungry Christians when we’re ankle deep in the corn! It’s time to soar, and sit and soak…to rest in Him with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul!   

  Love God, your God, with your whole heart:

love Him with all that’s in you, love Him with all you’ve got!

 Write these commandments that I’ve given you today 

on your hearts.

Get them inside of you…

Deuteronomy 6:5-7a