Friday, June 7, 2024
So, my husband Jim is on a pastor renewal leave. Yay for him! The day before he left, he planted a few bulbs and asked me to water them every day for the first week. They needed lots of water he told me. Wait… what? First of all, I am not a gardener. Then it is 100 degrees out there. However, for the past week I’ve been watering this dirt. I don’t see anything except the spots Jim marked for me. I am sweating, but I am doing what he requested. Today, though, something caught my attention. A tiny stem has broken through the ground and a small elephant ear leaf is forming, so cool! Each one of those bulbs are breaking through the ground.
That bulb buried in the ground had to die for this tiny stem to break through and if I continue to water and care for it, it will grow into a large, beautiful plant. You know, when I read Psalm 6, I realize that David wrote this Psalm when he was in a very tough spot. He cried out to God, “Have compassion on me, Lord.” Have you ever been at a place that felt dark, lonely, and hopeless? A time when tears flow out at night or sleep eludes you as you worry about a situation, a friend, or a loved one. God is the one able to restore us and bring something beautiful out of whatever situation we face. Today, as you read (pray) Psalm 6, either for yourself or on behalf of a friend, I invite you to enter that dark space, but then join the Psalmist into the assurance of vs. 9 “The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.”
So What? This weekend, take a walk around the butterfly garden behind Lake Deaton UMC, or at a park near you, preferably in the coolness of the day. Look for new shoots coming through the ground. Give thanks for God’s continual restoration in your own life.
Blessings,
Loida
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