Thriving...in Spite of It

There is something in us all that is drawn to a garden. We spend hours on Pinterest, hundreds at Home Depot, and thousands on vacations and ventures, in search of finding or creating a little piece of paradise, where we can sink our toes into the cool grass and breathe in the fragrances that make us think, consciously or not, "This must be what Heaven is like." This month, we will explore the root cause of such quests (no pun intended), by unraveling the mysterious connection between us and three particular gardens (in the Bible). I was evidently taking a nap or hiding with a book somewhere when the green thumbs were passed out, so every season involves clearing away the wilted or crunchy attempts at gardening and replacing them with fresh unsuspecting little plants and blooms to improve my home's curb appeal (more like HGTV, less like the Munster's house). Nevertheless, I'm still THAT person who slows down to take pictures of fields of wildflowers, or, on ...

Every day, in some way or another, we seem to come up short. Our output exceeds our income, and we are "in the red" when it comes to so many things, such as time, energy, money...even enthusiasm. Being tapped out seems to have become the norm, as we chase every opportunity, pursue countless friendships, enlist ourselves in every new cause, and rack up accomplishments, jam-packing our resumes, calendars, and Facebook friends list until we don't have a single spare moment to ourselves. From the outside, it looks like a "full life;" on the inside, it feels pretty empty. How can something so empty feel so heavy? First of all, "more" isn't necessarily "better." Have you ever been behind a group of tween girls ordering their drinks in a coffee shop? They like the fru-fru girly coffees, with lots of sugar, calories, and every possible option, extra this, extra that...Aside from taking FIVE-EVER (I just learned this term from my daughter-...

The other day, I was zipping from room to room, executing a quick mid-week tidy-up on the house with Olympian-like exertion, minus the grace, coordination and spandex. It was one of those spontaneous flurries of activity that bursts forth from a state of mind that’s more agitated than active—one of those moments when you lift your eyes from the task at hand to face a gargantuan to-do list, towering over you like Godzilla. With Godzilla in front of you, and a little housework behind you, it’s a no-brainer which one you had rather face: the smaller dragon, of course.  So, off I went, in all the fervor and fever of productive procrastination*, cheerfully confident in the forthcoming victory over the little dragon. I was slayin’ it. I usually spend very little time in the formal living and dining rooms, situated in the front of the house, beyond the blessed stairs, as I prefer the comfort of the breakfast table and easy chair in rooms situated in the back of the house, near the kit...

If you've ever visited my home, driving up, you'll see piles of lush green foliage with splashes of color huddled in their respective flower beds on both sides of the front door. Lovely from the curb, but when you step closer, you'll easily see the disarray....much like a Renoir ... Aren't we all, really? We hope things look perfect from the outside, and do everything in our power with concealer, color, and shape-wear to make us look that way, but without God's mercy and grace, we could never have any hope of being what we intend to be. I'm picking on my hodgepodge garden for a reason.  It brings to mind three specific situations in our lives---conditions, really---that are calling for our attention...like that 6:00 AM songbird outside the window on Saturday morning. We can roll over, put a pillow over our head, and shut it out, or we can acknowledge the miraculous truth and beauty wrapped up in its notes... 1) What did you plant? Springing up between t...

It's Monday---the day after Easter---and in the afterglow of a weekend of wonderful worship and refreshing family fun, we plunge back into the doldrums of daily duties with revived enthusiasm. Then it hits--the feeling of dread, restlessness, irrelevance. However delightful and favorable your workplace may be, you're probably feeling it today--like a kid stomping back to school after a four-day weekend, sullen-faced, heavy-hearted, and distracted. Mom used to call it the "don't want-to's." Yes, that's it--don't want to be here, don't want to do this---"can't adult today," as my daughter, working her way through college, now says. The expression has come full circle, evolving into Millineal-ese, but the feeling equally familiar to us all. We all occasionally have a sense of not belonging--or at least, not belonging here , and it has little to do with situational discontent, especially after a break from your usual rolling mountain ...

If you are like me, you're plunging into the week today like an 18th century firefighter, a full bucket in each hand, running full speed ahead, using every ounce of strength, concentration and determination you can muster to keep from sloshing out any of the precious contents, or, worse yet, tripping and toppling, losing them all. One bucket is full of obligations -- the other, your passion, your mission, and the desires of your heart. Both are filled to the brim, heaving under the insufficient handles of good intentions -- handles that creak, slip, and blister your hands as you fight their heavy sway to hold them tightly. How can you possibly chase your dreams in such a precarious, painful state? Jesus made it a point to tell us to cast our cares on Him, because He cares for us. We do it, alright, but then we pick them up again. God pleads with us to find rest in Him, and we say, OK, just for a moment...you sit down, carefully easing your buckets to the floor. You look around ...