Category: Gardening

This Mystery

About two weeks ago, this plant started pushing through the soil in my front flowerbed. Dwarfed by the surrounding majestic Hoosier zinnias (Thank you again, Shirley Toney!), it looked like a long green skinny bullet jutting upward. For a few days, I wondered what weed the birds had planted for me.

The day it bloomed I was thrilled and a bit confused as to how it had gotten there since Surprise Lilies start from bulbs not seeds. Yet this mystery is one that I’m enjoying and savoring. Hopefully next year it will somehow multiply so that it doesn’t stand alone.

When reading my monthly World Challenge newsletter this afternoon, Gary Wilkerson quoted a verse that contained the word “mystery:” “God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27, English Standard Version

As Christians we may not know how Christ in us works, but we know His presence can counsel, comfort and lead us. Our dependence upon God through prayer ignites the Holy Spirit within us. While difficult to understand, we can depend upon His power.

The indwelling of the Spirit of God is indeed a mystery. But like many mysteries, the Holy Spirit is beautiful, strong, often surprising, and hopefully growing and multiplying.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.  He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

– Jesus speaking in John 16:13-15, NLT.

Oh No! Not Another Evil Oxalis!

I would call it a love-hate relationship, but mostly love. I’m talking about a spring and summer, time-consuming passion in my life—gardening. With the recent intense heat, my bicep building involves carrying plastic reusable cat litter cartons full of water and fertilizer to bolster my droopy tomato plants. Providing our entire plant world a drink takes over an hour.

But I water out of love. Weeding, on the other hand, not so much. Weeds, many disguised as yellow flowers, make me angry, especially when they overrun my parched flowers after a storm.

Especially despised is a sneaky dude. It looks innocent enough with its petite cloverleaf petals sporting cute, yellow star-like blooms, but it’s evil. Its delicate roots go deep and spread worse than chiggers after a picnic.

Oxalis is a leach, crowding all bonafide beauty. Even lawn care companies rate it, also called creeping woodsorrel, the worst weed to control. As one blogger said, “It doesn’t roll over and die like dandelions or clover. This weed is just plain tough.” (https://tomlinsonbomberger.com/blog/kill-oxalis-lawn-weed-control/)

When I’m digging deep and gently pulling its thin roots out of my mulched flower patches, I can’t help but think how much this weed reminds me of Satan. He surrounds purity with creepy deception. What he offers may look good, sound good, feel good, but it’s only temporary pleasure with life-destroying consequences.

For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  So it is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their destiny will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, HCSB

Fight the good fight! Don’t let oxalis take over your garden. And more importantly, beware of sin taking over your life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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