Scooch

It was hot today, as I made my way out to the labyrinth…drawn might really be a better description. The breeze bounced the butterfly vine around. This is what the flowers look like after they’ve gone to seed. When pulled apart they look like three identical butterflies…I will never tire of seeing this vine and its beauty!

Funny thing was this morning’s sermon was on change, on our walk with the Lord being one of movement. So, when I turned a corner of the path and walked right up to one of the new bamboo shoots shooting up in the middle of the path, I thought, “how am I supposed to change this?” But, sure enough there’s just enough room  to scooch the rock border and the path is fine. That happened several times on today’s prayer walk….stop and scooch. And every time, there was room.

God does that….He always has scooch room. We’re the ones who like to be all comfortable and planned out. But time and time again, He reminds us that HE’s got this life path of ours all set out…scooches and all! Isn’t it in the “scooches” that we learn that? We have to stop and ask Him for help, or sit and get stuck. Thankfully, He will sit with us and prayerfully we’ll hear and learn to trust where we cannot see any scooch room at all.

…God is gracious—it is he who makes things right, our most compassionate God. God takes the side of the helpless; when I was at the end of my rope, he saved me.

Psalm 116:1-2 MSG

Next week begins a new season, a new adventure for a few of us. God has opened some amazing doors for some friends and myself and we’re stepping. It is obvious how God has moved and scooched, what we all thought was set in stone, so that this new season can come into being. That was what I had gone out to pray about today, and to lift this new endeavor once more to Him. So, He had me moving and scooching stones the whole time…to make way for the bamboo. He knew the shoots would shoot up right where they did and there was plenty of scooch room! Some small and some big scooches, but all had ample room.

He does that outside the garden, too….for all of us. All we need to do is move with Him, yield to the next step and trust that our steps are on Solid Ground. So, next week’s new season and new steps begin outside the garden. We are all so blessed to walk with our Saviour every step of the way. And more so, when we heed the scooch and see The Way of The Path.

 

Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.

Psalm 16:11 ~ The Message

 

Neglected

I must say, because of this heat, the labyrinth has really been neglected – or so I thought.

It was an ordeal to push past, under and through all that had grown up around it. The gate was covered, weeds everywhere – what a mess!

And then I got thru – it is lovely! The bamboo is growing like crazy, blooms on the duranta and lots of new growth on the sego palm.

God’s like that, ya know. We can “neglect” our lives with Him, but that doesn’t mean He has neglected anything. HE is faithful ~ always. In our “neglect”, He is growing new things for our next steps and moving paths so we can see and learn afresh.

Before I went outside today, one of my scripture verses this morning was Proverbs 14:4

Without oxen a stable stays clean,
    but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

I guess it doesn’t sound like much on the face of it. I mean, don’t know about you, but there are no large, lumbering oxen in my back yard….but as usual, walking in the breeze today got me to thinking.

We can all work to get things neat and tidy from our perspective, of course. 

We can focus our energies on terrific, God serving projects from our perspective. 

We can organize our lives in order to have a “clean stable” from our perspective. 

But life isn’t clean, it is messy. Relationships are messy, circumstances get difficult, perspectives get skewed.

That’s where God comes in….He’s the ox. That might not be a real reverent way of putting it, but He is! God has promised to do all the heavy lifting in our lives. He has things for us to do, people to engage with….souls to touch, but if we’re soooo busy avoiding things in order to keep a clean stable, we can miss the harvest He intended.

Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;
    God probes for what is good.

Proverbs 16:2 ~ The Message Version

The world is great at keeping us busy. It disguises things as good, or maybe they are really good, but we can pile on too much of a good thing...like ice cream, but don’t tell my dad I said that! 

Neglect of our spiritual life, of our centered/focused walk with the Lord happens, most often when we’re busy. We neglect our own soul’s growth and we’re not even aware of it.

 

Like these new bamboo pushing up from under rocks and growing/forming to the rays of the sun everyday, that’s not my harvest….it is His. 

Remember, I have neglected to come out ‘cuz it was too hot, but He tended to His creation just fine without me. I would have missed seeing it, missing thanking Him for it if I hadn’t come outside for just a while this morning. We can trust Him with the heavy lifting, with the relationships that are difficult. And we can always, always lift up our neglected stable and thank Him for the harvest He will provide in it.

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 ~ New Living Translation