By Jan Davis
Special to The PREVIEW
Determined to rake and bag every leaf in the flowerbeds around my house, I wiped the sweat from my brow. The fall project resembled a lost battle. The more I gathered, the bigger the mess.
Time to take a break, I grabbed a cold Coke from the fridge in the garage and headed to the porch swing. I surveyed my slow but sure progress before I closed my eyes and sent up a quick plea for help. God spoke into my spirit, “Don’t fight it, embrace it.” I took a deep breath, reevaluated the situation and decided to enjoy the colorful foliage.
The next spring, my asparagus plant made a surprise appearance. The roots, protected from the cold by those troublesome leaves, now brought forth new growth.
Sure, I needed to collect and bag the old vegetation to expose the new growth to sunlight and fresh air, but the reward was well worth the work. An asparagus does not survive an Oklahoma winter outdoors. But, because of one short prayer and submission to God’s instruction, I enjoyed the same plant for over five years.
God speaks to everyone, but not everyone pays attention. Our objectives appear good and yet we fail to comply to God’s will. We keep agendas, make excuses, or listen to other voices in lieu of God’s. Because we disregard his directives, we miss the joy of unforeseen possibilities.
God doesn’t promise us a rose garden without thorns, or a flower bed without leaves; but he does guarantee a solution. All he asks of us is, “Don’t fight it, embrace it.”
“A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.” — Ecclesiates 3:5 (KJV).
Because of Jesus, life is full of little surprises.
I love you, but Jesus loves you more.
