Working the garden...and the rewards

It is only 10:30AM and I have just come into the house for the rest of the day…at least until evening when it cools back into the low 90’s. I have been outside for several hours working in the garden. I am tired, hot, sweating and dirty! But I have a sense of satisfaction because of the work I have done.

A garden has to be worked every day. I picked green beans on Monday and today many of the beans I picked, in only three days time have grown too big to eat. Once they begin growing, they really grow fast. In two pickings I have 5 pounds of beans. I also picked tomatoes, our first cucumber, and two okra pods - not quite enough for a meal yet. And you should see our watermelon plants. They are taking over the ground and are covered with blooms. We even have a “volunteer” watermelon plant…one we did not plant, but it just popped up among the pepper plants.

Some people have responded to the idea of having a garden with “that sounds fun.” When I hear that response, I figure that those people, like I was in years past, probably have no experience and are not informed about all that goes into growing a garden. It is not really “fun.” It is absolutely hard work and responsibility…but with great rewards. The ground has to be prepared, the seeds planted, daily watering, weeding. And then when the fruit or veggies begin to come in, you have to pick them regularly, along with continuing the other work, and then you have to do something with them. If you only pick them and don’t prepare them for eating, canning or freezing, they go to waste. So it is work from beginning to end.

Our spiritual lives are much like a garden. They have to be maintained daily - and often take work many times during the day. We must prepare the ground of our heart with much prayer and consistent relationship with God. We must plant the seed. The Word represents the “seeds” that go into our heart and take root. We must daily water the seed with faith, and by meditating on the Word so it will go deep in our hearts and we will gain understanding. Our hearts much be constantly weeded of sin through repentance, lest our sin overruns and chokes out the Godly fruit.

And when our lives bear fruit, it is not just so we will look good. It is not for observing. Last year we had zucchini plants that were beautiful and which blossomed profusely. However, we got no fruit. The flowers did not turn into zucchinis. They were pretty…but were no good. We are not just meant to bloom, to look good or to smell good, but we are called to bear fruit (John 15: 1-2, 15).

And fruit is no good unless it is picked and eaten. Godly fruit in our lives is not just for us, but is for the purpose of ministering to those around us. When you look at the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), you see that it reveals the character of God. That is why it is “fruit of the Spirit” not fruit of human effort. John wrote that we cannot bear fruit apart from Him (John 15:4-5). It is not something we can do on our own. Fruit is a product of the work of the Holy Spirit within us, as we cooperate with and obey Him.

The lost in the world will not know there is a God by our going to church or being “religious.” They will know there is a God by our love for one another (John 13:35) and our love for them. When we reach out to them and show them that we care, that inclusive love will touch their hearts. When they see peace and joy in our lives, despite the economy and challenging circumstances, they will want to know how that can be. They will watch our lives, and will be drawn to come and eat of the fruit of our lives, which we are to give freely. Our lives are to point the world to Jesus and His character. That is true witnessing…living and demonstrating the character of Jesus to those around us.

Granted, just like gardening, taking care of our spiritual lives takes work, time, energy, dedication, perseverance, endurance. It takes surrender, yielding and obedience. But, most of all, when you have passion for Jesus and are in love with Him, the work seems like nothing at all. All effort becomes pure joy and delight. A sense of effort is overcome by the amazing privilege of deeper revelation and deeper intimacy with Him. That IS what heaven is all about! So, I pray that your spiritual garden is in good shape, is in the process, and that you are bearing much fruit and sharing it with others. That brings a smile to the face of our Lord. How great is that?

Another New Beginning

For the past week, since I set up my blog, it has been “write…delete, write…delete, write…delete,” and it was getting frustrating. Yesterday I finally decided to post SOMETHING to break the cycle, but once I did and reread it, I went “blah!”

This morning while I was working in the garden, I asked the Lord what the deal was. Last year I would sit down to write and the words would flow out of me. This morning, He gave me direction which I will share with you in this, my second New Beginning.

Last year, as I was going through treatment for cancer, I was writing for my own benefit. The Lord said this is a new year, I am healed, and I no longer need to write for therapy. He reminded me that He has called me to disciple younger women…and a few spiritual sons. That is what this blog is about. So, if you want to read writing that is practical, Godly, and will help you in your everyday life, then perhaps this blog is for you.

I do NOT have all the answers to life. And I will do my best to back up what I say with scripture, because no one needs just another opinion. I will write mostly from my own experience because that is how I try and test the Word. I want to be a "doer of the Word!"

God sets down principles for wise living and whether you are single or married, those principles can help you to live a fulfilled life.

If you are not a Christian, you may still gain some insights from my writings. God’s principles are always truth and if you apply them, even as a non-Christian, they can open the door to better relationships.

A little background… I am a 62-year-old wife, mother and grandmother. (In the family picture below, I am the older woman on the left and my sweet baboo is the handsome dude with glasses!) I have been married to Charlie for 42 years, which is a true miracle of God’s grace. Number one lesson I learned… Marriage is HARD WORK, but is worth the investment!

I have two children. Both of my daughters are precious young women…and you can see their blogs below (Reflections of a Sheepish Lion and Pop Rocks for Breakfast). They are amazing women despite having me as a mother, as I made many, many mistakes and it seems that I was constantly asking them for forgiveness. You can see our wonderful grandchildren. I love being a Grammy and I enjoy watching their lives as they grow.

I was not raised in a Christian home and did not have a role model I wanted to follow in the area of marriage, parenting or relationships. I knew what kind of family I didn’t want, but had to search for what I did want. I found it. I have had some great teachers. Most of what I found was in the scriptures. I am grateful for the truths of God that make the difference in life.

Charlie and I were a career military family and moved 19 times in 26 years. My oldest daughter was in 9 schools in 12 years and our girls went to high school in Japan. We made many adjustments over the years. There were constant challenges, and many blessings. My husband is now retired from the military, and spends his time working on remodeling our home, rebuilding the barn, keeping me going, repairing tractors, planting a garden, mowing the pastures and ministering to numerous men and women both in our small town, in our church, and in several nations of the world.

That’s the basics, except to say that I am a very ordinary woman who has an extraordinary God. Because of His grace on my life, His Spirit in me, His Word to live by, and His constant presence and fellowship, my life is daily fulfilled and blessed. Even when hard times come, He turns them to good. He is faithful no matter what our life situations are.

So, that’s the new scoop…a blog where I share from my life and that will hopefully help you live a more blessed life, avoid some difficult issues and help you deal with challenges you face. That should be relevant in the present day society in which we live.

The other part of this blog is that if you have a particular situation that I can minister to, please let me know. I’m not “Dear Abby” nor do I want to be, but I can share from my experience – tried and tested. If you need prayer for a situation in your life, I am a prayer warrior, and will pray for you.

So (unless I haven’t heard right and have to have another New Beginning) next time…Lessons Learned!

Celebrating Father's Day

I am so thankful there is a special day to honor fathers. I hope each of you were able to celebrate in some way, whether by talking to your father, writing him a note or card, or simply remembering good things he did or the positive influence he had on your life as you were growing up.

My father is not alive, but I have spent some time thinking about some of the memorable times I had with him. I was born 3 weeks late, to be born on my father’s birthday. We celebrated every year together , most often with a watermelon loaded with candles rather than a birthday cake. I still prefer watermelon to cake. My father was a very accomplished pianist, and I remember times when I would sit at the piano with him as he would teach me a piece of music and then we would play a duet together.

I became a Christian as an adult, and that is when I learned that I have another Father – a heavenly One. He is the One who created me in the first place out of His heart of love. He also has a unique and divine purpose for my life. My earthly parents had to take what they got, but my heavenly Father knew what I would be and loved me before He created me (Ephesians 1:4, Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:4-5. Galatians 1:15).

Many of the things I have learned about my heavenly Father have come from watching my husband, Charlie, as he demonstrated the character of God the Father in his relationship with our daughters. It was through him that I came to understand the unconditional love and grace of God. I could write pages of things I have learned about my heavenly Father from observing my husband. Even now, as our children are grown, he prays daily for them and their families, and he goes out of his way to show love and care for them. He always expected the best from them, but was willing to do whatever it took to help them accomplish that “best.” Many of his strengths of character and integrity are now obvious in our daughters.

This morning in church, as we celebrated our earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father, I was aware that many of the men and women I knew were having a struggle celebrating. Some of them grew up without a father…either because their father died when they were young, or because he abandoned the family. Some of them had fathers who were gone more than they were home. Others had fathers who, when they were home, they did not show interest in or spend time with their children. We talked to a young woman yesterday who waited on us at dinner. When Charlie asked how she was going to celebrate Father's Day, she said her father was a mean and violent man. All of those things can leave pain, rejection, or a void in our lives, and can keep us from moving forward into all the blessings God wants to give to us. And sometimes we grow up believing the lie that our Heavenly Father is like our earthly father.

None of our earthly parents were perfect. Yet, even in the first few chapters of the Bible, we see that the first man and woman had a perfect Father – God, Himself, yet, they still made ungodly choices. This says to me that even if our parents had been perfect, we probably would not have been!

I have learned over the years that I cannot change my past and I cannot change other people. By God's grace and with His help, I can only change myself and my perspective. Also, it does me no good to try to blame the failures of others for MY wrong attitudes and actions.

I lived with bitterness far too long. When I forgave my earthly parents for their failures, then my Heavenly Father began the healing process in my heart. At first I had to make a concentrated effort to look for good memories. Then I found that I could look at even the bad memories and God would show me how He had turned even those things into strengths in my life. There is nothing He cannot redeem in our lives and use for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28).

I hope you can celebrate having a Godly earthly father. But if you cannot, I pray you will take the time to spend part of Father’s Day (and every day) with your heavenly Father, who loves you beyond words. He alone can fill any voids left by imperfect parents. He will never reject you (Hebrews 13:5). He wants you to experience His love that heals all wounds. What we missed in relationship with our earthly fathers, we can have that and far more with our Heavenly Father who desires above all things to have fellowship with us. Just think, the God who created the universe loves you and wants to spend time with you - now and for eternity. How precious and amazing is that? I think I will stop writing and go spend time with Him…celebrating His love for me and for you!

A New Beginning...

Just setting up this blog site represents a new beginning. I am trying to advance my knowledge of technology, though there is no way I can keep up with my children or grandchildren. For a Grammy who is computer-challenged, it can be intimidating to even begin to do something like this. My daughters say, "It's easy Mom. You can do it!" Well, I have discovered that anything can be easy IF you know how to do it. But when you do not know what you are doing, no matter how user-friendly the advertisments proclaim, new technological experiences can cause intimidation. However, I am determined to persevere and not allow a machine to get the best of me!

My “blog” is actually a continuation of a journal I have been writing for over 18 months. In January, 2008, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and with the encouragement of my daughters and Charlie, my husband, I began "journaling my journey." Recording what was happening in my life during cancer surgery and months of treatment, along with all God was teaching me during that time, became great therapy in my life. I didn’t think anyone would read the journal, but discovered, much to my surprise, that people actually did read it. Their responses of love, encouragement and prayers were precious gifts to me. Recently, the Lord began prompting me to continue writing, thus this blog.

As with my CaringBridge journal, I am writing primarily for myself, to record the things God is teaching me. There is so much I need to learn. And knowing God’s principles in my mind is not enough. I want to know them in my heart and then demonstrate His will in the actions and attitudes of my life.

I love the way technology allows us to "share life" in new ways. Perhaps that is why I have determined to persevere in this "new beginning." There are several blogs that I follow regularly and several that I read occasionally when I have an extra few minutes. I especially love reading blogs by several younger women who are sharing the process of life and wisdom with each other. Thank you to each of you who have encouraged me to take advantage of this medium of communication.

If you are interested in reading my CaringBridge journal or know someone who is walking through cancer diagnoses or treatment and who needs encouragement, you can go to CaringBridge.org and sign in on my website using suzannet. You will need to give your email address and set up your own password, but those who originated CaringBridge are very careful to protect names and information.