Monday, April 29, 2013
Succulents
Succulents
Have you noticed the new trend with Succulents? I first
noticed it when I was in California last Fall. They were everywhere. Well, you
know, in all the cool shops, like 7 Blue Chairs, the vintage dream-come-true
shop of my wonderful friend Chris (I-can-spin-ten-plates-in-the-air-all-at
–once) Blue. She’s always the trendsetter, in fashion, in home décor, heck, in
pretty much everything. She’s a one of a kind. And she’s my kinda girl. Oh, did I mention that she has five cutey
kiddos?
Chris is a succulent.
Succulent? you ask. Maybe
you’re thinking of something juicy and tasty, which is a good thought, but I’m
talking about plants “with fleshy water-storing parts”. Can you tell that my Caroline showed me how to access the dictionary
and thesaurus while typing? Wow. Now that is fun. I feel tech-savvy right now.
Ok, it’s over. But it felt good for just a moment there.
Maybe you don’t know this little secret about me. This
citified farmer’s daughter has a degree in Vocational Agriculture Education,
with an emphasis on Horticulture…so I know my succulents.
They’re like cactus (are able to go a really long time without
a drink of water) but they don’t have prickly parts. Just soft cool-looking
leaves, full of life-giving water parts.
Cacti are super hardy and tenacious. Two excellent traits.
For people with “black” thumbs, they’d
be a great choice. No fear of killing a cactus…. except by
over-watering, of course They’re perfect in the desert. ( Infact my all time favorite
devotional is called “Streams in the Desert”. I have worn out two hard back
copies. If you find yourself in a desert season of life, now would be a great
time to pick up a copy.)
People are drawn to succulents. If ya happen to be people
watching at a nursery… but who does that, but me?... just watch ‘em and you’ll see people reaching down and giving
a gentle almost affectionate little squeeze to those thick little leaves. They
just beg to be touched. People are drawn to the life in them. They want to
touch it. They want to own it. They want to know that in the hard,
incomprehensible times they’ll have what it takes to make it through. They’ll have
that reserve, like the succulent.
Cacti have the same ability to hold a reserve of water and
survive in the “dry” times. But nobody’s reaching out and touching them. They
don’t seem to represent life like their cousin the succulent. I think you know
why. Cause they’re prickly . Hey, maybe they’re lonely too cause nobody wants to
know them or touch them or emulate them.
Maybe you know someone(s) who is prickly. Maybe you’re
prickly. I know I certainly can be prickly. Back in my hormonal days I was
prickly quite often. But I’d give Mr. Ten Days fair warning. Watch out! Feelin
Prickly today! Steer clear!
The genius is to not let prickly become your state of being.
Which in this world of dishes and diapers and sleep deprivation, prickly can
become the norm. Problems that take way too long to be solved, dwindling
financial resources, raising teenagers, miscommunication with your “beloved”, etc. etc. etc. all add up to
one prickly momma.
I guess the only way to change from a cactus to a succulent
is to allow someone far enough into your heart and your life to begin the
tricky and tedious but loving task of
removing the spikes from your very tender self. Maybe it’s a wise, trusted
friend, or maybe it’s God Himself.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Where's the Tomatoes?
Ehhh, you’ve probably heard it before, perhaps from the
pulpit. “If we truly reap what we sow, some of you out there better start
praying for crop failure.”
Yeh, well certainly before August 1978, (yep, it’s been that
long) I definitely sowed some seeds that I am glad never sprouted. But ever
since that fateful day when I knelt by my bed and offered up my own rendition
of “the sinner’s prayer”, “Lord, this is really hard for me…to turn my whole
life, every bit of it over to you. But, I realize you probably couldn’t screw
it up more than I have.” Have you ever heard such a great prayer of faith and
trust!? I realize it wasn’t filled with faith or Trust, but God in His mercy and sense of humor, let me in
anyway. (I won’t get into how I feel about that cause my eyes will be so filled
with tears I won’t be able to see the keyboard.) He didn’t see me that day the
way I was. He saw what he could do with a finally surrendered heart. He had the big picture.
In the darkest moments of my life, which happened to be after I gave it all to Jesus…hmmm, I’m
thinking that’s not the way it’s supposed to be. The sinner’s prayer is
supposed to be my “get outa jail free” card. This earth and all its junk and all its pain will now be a walk in the proverbial
park. Oh, that’s right, that’s what I wanted
to believe, and truth be known what a lot of people led me to believe. When
right there in His How-to-live-in-a-fallen-world handbook it says, very clearly
that we will suffer trials and persecutions.
In those darkest moments and in some tough places since, He has always,
by His mercy, given me the big picture. And it’s made all the difference.
My crop of hopes and dreams are like when I plant those
delicious Heirloom tomatoes and up comes Brussels sprouts or lima beans, or
bokchoy...when my careful planting and pruning and watering yields some foreign
food. Now, actually I happen to like Brussels sprouts and lima beans (no idea
about bokchoy, but it sounds gross) but if that’s not what I was expecting….I don’t
sit around googling Brussels sprout recipes. I sit around wondering what the
heck went wrong, and, unfortunately there is usually some complaining involved.
Why did my crop fail? I prayed, and prayed hard, mind you. I
did everything the manual said. Okay, maybe I didn’t follow it perfectly all
the time, but man, I sure followed it more than well enough to get me some
tomatoes! And some really nice sweet glossy red ones too!
And here’s the real sting of it all. This is not the first
time I’ve had what seemed to be a crop failure. And each time, it stings a
little more. Cause each time it waters my disappointment. “But I was so sure
about this crop, I took even greater care this time. What’s going on here?”
Sure, I could find some recipes for my surprise crop, and it
just might taste pretty good, but that’s not the point. I want what I planted. I wanted it last time …and the time before that, too! Frankly, I’m pretty sick
of this little drill. This wasn’t what I was expecting. Ahhh, those
ever-present, persistent expectations… will I ever learn?
So up from my “garden” I look and ask Him to give me the big
picture. Getting to see how God was arranging even the toughest of times into a
beautiful field of redeemed circumstances, furrow after gently tilled furrow,
gave this weary farmer renewed hope.
Ohhhh, now I see. Oh,
ok, I get it. Oh, you’re making this
totally delicious enormous pot of soup
that calls for all sorts of vegetables. The great blend of all my supposed crop
failures is making it more savory and more nutritious every time….oh, I see.
Now I see the big picture. I see all those people eating it too. They were
hungry and tired. Now they’re full and rested. My vegetable garden really isn’t
about me, is it?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)