The wise woman builds her house...the foolish one tears it down with her own hands...proverbs 14:1
I am running slim on how to keep pulling verses from our daily proverbs reading that mention jewelry to keep with the gem theme of this devotional, I decided to make this one a picture of a Sapphire just because. I guess I could still run pictures of crowns since surprisingly they are mentioned quite a bit through the 31 chapters. Really any bit of wisdom I gain from proverbs is a "gem".
Even though there are verses in todays reading alone that are well used for messages time and again, the kind of thing I want to write about which doesn't have a particular place to land on in chapter 14, is my struggle with "neighbor envy". As in I shall not envy my neighbors oh so green and creative thumb. I shall not compare my landscaping skills with hers because my skills fall so short of even my own expectations of how I should care for my yard. Which brings me to identity and how do I not have a crisis in my identity in this area. I feel like I am not a good representative of God with a crummy yard. Not doing my part to tend the garden so to speak. Is that really how God sees it though? Yep this cheery monday morning post is fairly dripping with self condemnation...
The change from winter to spring does have its transitional woes. I am glad to have the piles of snow that made our 8th of a mile long driveway navigation only for the brave of heart (or perhaps desperately driven) finally melted! However those drifts did cover a multitude of sins in my yard which are sadly now exposed for all to see.
We have a Puppy named Piper, which I still try to tell myself was a good idea to get when we did. She is a sweet tempered dog. She is also large and puppy clumsy and has been allowed to develop the habit of using the very front yard as the worlds largest doggy outhouse. And I did say she is large so her piles are corresponding in size. (much as I hate to I will take responsibility for the poor training she has gotten)I am the owner of two pooper scoopers one which has been repaired at least twice from wearing out on the job. Then there is the fact that she detirmined for what ever reason to use my solar garden lights as her chew toy challenge leaving those remnants behind here and there. Then there is the burning pile (ok I will guiltily admit that living in the country, we do burn stuff from time to time like paper with info you don't want found in garbage dumps and sometimes poopy disiposable diapers...) Piper is delighted to find gross things and drag them to the front yard shredding them and then of course leaving them.
All of this mixed with the general dreary, not yet green grass, along with wet leaves and branches dropped from storms, randomly growing twiglets of rose of sharon trees still gray in color and some piles of things left along the fence from (You know what even I do not know what they are from! Some kind of work projects and ramps for snow boards among other things) do not have me motivated unfortunately, but instead somewhat oppressed.
So today the scripture speaking to me the most is this from Isaiah 41:9a-10
...you are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
I feel so much better now! My imperfect yard does not keep me from His acceptance and choosing me...or YOU in whatever you are dealing with. We all have our stuff we think cuts us off. But really even sin has provision made for it to bring us back to Him. ( you know the if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1:9 provision)
This new day of the week, be blessed! Let Him help clean the yard of your heart and fill you with His presence and I will do the same! Actually I hope you got off to a better start than I did in the first place...
No comments:
Post a Comment