A couple of months ago, hail and rain storms raged through our area, almost on a daily basis. It was the middle of May and everyone was chomping at the bit to get their flower baskets hung by the awning with care and get those wonderful bedding plants in the ground. But every time we thought it was going to be THE day, we were blessed with more rain, cold nights and hail.
Well, towards the first of June, I thought it was safe and headed over to my friends nursery and garden center. I got several hanging baskets and trays of bedding plants and went home to hang them, lovingly, as I do every year. It was so fun to get up each morning to give these sweet beauties the care they needed to produce like they are designed to do. I also had enough bedding plants to take care of Memorial Day Weekend when we always plant flowers on all the family grave sites.
Then, it happened. Karl, the greatest man alive, and I had been up in the mountains all day, having a great time playing with our daughter and family who were visiting for the weekend. It was beautiful and sunny most of the day, but started to cloud up later, so we headed home. As we got about 1/2 way home, we came upon a four-car accident and realized that accident had happened because of the several inches of hail on the ground, creating marbles under the tires of those cars. By the time we had come through, there wasn't anything on the roads, but the sides of the road looked like it was winter and had just snowed 3"!
Pulling into our driveway, my heart sank. ALL my flowers had been pummeled. These two, pictured at the right, had fallen earlier in the week because of the incredible winds, so I had placed them on the ground until I could get better hooks on the overhangs. As you can see, the hail took them out. 
The ones still hanging suffered, but only on the exposed side. Thankfully, they didn't look like a complete loss and all I needed to do was turn them around and no one would really see the damage. 
This kind of weather went on for a few more days - Karl and I even got creative on how to protect the plants we couldn't store in the garage. I literally had those hanging baskets and the four trays of bedding plants in the garage for over a week. It was so wonderful when the weather started cooperating.
To finally get to the lesson I learned, today. As I was doing my daily fun in the sun with these flowers, I was noticing how the two, pummeled, seemingly destroyed hanging plants were coming back nicely. They had scars on their wee little stems, but new life was pushing from all directions, declaring their strength and viability. It was at that moment, that whispering voice of the Holy Spirit mentioned how that is like my life.
I have been pummeled by life, as everyone has. Some of that beating came from poor choices I've made. Some has come from poor choices others have made and I happen to be there to participate, not always as a choice. And, as the two plants that were totally beat down, they seemed hopeless, as I have also felt hopeless.
God was showing me how He never gives up on His children. That even when life, by our choice or the choice of others, beats us down to a place of utter hopelessness, we always have hope in Jesus, who loves us, showers us with loving care, and nurtures us back to health.
If you take a look, now, at the two plants side-by-side, one is recuperating much faster than the other. He showed me how that is ok, too. Everyone is different and grows at different paces. That it isn't something to give up on, because HE knows what we need, when we need it, how we need it, and where we are going in life. He is a gentleman and a very fine surgeon. He does healing surgery little bits at a time. Can you imagine a surgeon going into our body to remove cancer and just yank it out? NO - he goes in to intricately remove bit by bit so all the organs remain healthy. That is how our healing takes place in Christ, too. And, He never leaves us. In Hebrews 13:5, God says He will never leave you nor forsake you.
I'm betting when those hanging baskets were getting beat to the ground, they felt forsaken. It is a common response in human life to think God HAS forsaken us when there are hard times - and God was showing me how some people's hard times are worse than others by the differences in how these three baskets where hurt. But if we truly understand who Jesus really is, we then know He didn't forsake us. There is a real enemy to our souls - one who wants to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.) When we really understand the love of Jesus, which can only be accomplished by spending time with him, we understand that our hurts, pain and suffering are really from the enemy and those who didn't know the love of Jesus.
So, back to the analogy - if you look at the picture of the recovering hanging baskets, you will still see the scars on their stems from the hail. But this I know....when the end of the summer arrives, you will have to dig deep in the greenery to find any sign of damage. That is because they will have had time with their caregiver, showering them with love, food, water and care. (as the picture below - you can't even see the scars anymore - it hasn't completely healed and still is only producing a few flowers on that side, but the scarring is gone). | |||
| You can't even see the damage |
Seek Him - Jesus is Love. He loves you so much, He gave His life for you. Since we live in a very hurting world, we don't see the love of Jesus, much. And I've not always been a great representation of that love. But I am further devoting my life to growing that love, to being consumed by His love. I've been saved from a mess of a life I had created for myself. I will never go back and will ALWAYS live my life for Christ. He saved me. I am a new creation. Old things have been shed off this life and I walk with Him every day - all because of LOVE.
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