Last Blooms of Summer

Today I spent the entire morning doing one of my most favorite things. I met some of my master gardener friends at out local public garden. The weather was a pleasant 70 degrees and a nice breeze was blowing. We spent three hours planting fall mums and pansies. We put up a couple of scare crows too. Next week we will add hay bales and pumpkins. Whenever someone asks me what I do for stress relief I immediately respond, “I go outside and dig in the dirt!” It has been proven that physical activity can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries. Gardening adds the bonus of a beautiful landscape to enjoy for months to come. Something as simple as a few patio planters can make a difference in our mood.

There was something else very special that happened this morning. Just as I arrived at the garden my friend said, “We were waiting for you to join us in prayer because a three fold cord is not easily broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
There is an older man in our gardening group who has been having some health issues. He was at the hospital today to have a procedure done on his heart. My friends and I held hands and prayed for him. I am confident our prayers where answered…because God’s Word is true.

“You have kept record of my days of wandering.You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them.” Psalm 56:8

Every Wednesday my husband sends an email out to the people in the group we lead at church. Today he shared a message about God’s perfect timing in our lives. The response was immediate. It’s easy to think that the trouble and trials we face in our lives is something no one else has ever known. But that is a lie that the enemy uses to try to isolate us. He doesn’t want us to ask other people to agree in prayer with us. His ultimate goal is to get us to the point that we are so self absorbed in our own problems that we do absolutely nothing for the kingdom of God.

“And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” Luke 8:15 

There’s another type of dirt we need to dig into from time to time. It is the soil of our own heart.
The biggest obstacle we have to over come many times is in our own minds. What did you wake up thinking about today? Is there really anything you can do about what is worrying you? If there is then don’t waste another second; take care of it. If not, I encourage you to lay it down at the feet of Jesus. He died so that you don’t have to carry your burden. He has already won the battle you are facing. Give it to Him, then, be busy in what concerns Him…people. Pick up the phone or drop a post card in the mail and encourage someone. Volunteer in your local church, nursing home or hospital. Ask the Lord to bring someone to your mind that needs your prayers today.

There were times in my life when I thought I was waiting on God. The reality was that God was waiting on me. One year ago my husband and I were asked to lead a group of people in our church. To be honest, we really didn’t feel like doing it. We thought that we didn’t have time. Our attitude was, “We’re older now, we’ve paid our dues. Let the younger couples do it.” All the while we were thinking this we knew in our hearts that it was exactly what the Lord wanted us to do. When we said yes something amazing happened. We don’t have less time, we have more! Somehow, God has miraculously multiplied our time. Our weekends are longer and more relaxing then ever. We have seen answers to prayers that we have been praying for years.
How about you? Are you ready for a change? Could it be that your answer isn’t any farther away then the face in the mirror? What is it that the Lord would have you do? Step out, my friends, trust Him. He is a loving Father. He will never ask you to do something that He hasn’t already given you the ability to do. He wants what is best for you and He already knows what that is. I encourage you to lay your troubled thoughts aside and concentrate on others today. The results will be incredible.

Matthew 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”