This is not an actual photo taken by me, but one that I pulled from an online search. 

Lessons From Being Parched

The blustery winds and chilling temperatures from winter are long behind us, now that June has been ushered in by the furnace fan providing us cool air on days that are currently sporting waves of heat in the 80s….slowly teasing us onward to scorching 90s….warm days many of us longed for when we were knee deep shoveling snow covered driveways and sidewalks. We’ve exchanged snow boots for flip flops and winter clothing for shorts….swimwear for pools, lakes…water time fun in all forms! Maybe a water balloon fight or running through a lawn sprinkler…

In late May I planted flowers, vegetable plants and seeds. Everything seems to be doing well with the exception of some of the seeds. Those little buggers are stubborn, no matter how I water and “coax” them with encouragement to poke their way through the beautiful dirt that I laid them in ever so carefully. By no means am I an expert gardener. Truth be told, I’m more of a casual/lazy kind of person who puts plants and seeds in the ground, expecting great results with little effort. I’d kind of like my seedlings to act like their relatives that thrive in desert dirt…very little rain and more sunshine than the states of Florida, Georgia, Arizona…you get the picture….combined. Could they NOT have a bit more ambition to push through the soil and show me they are trying!?

When we were in Arizona recently, I was amazed at the variety of cactus plants growing in all types of dry, rocky, arid terrain. They sure looked healthy! Some of them were budding…getting ready to pop open flowers…others were very green…standing strong and tall, or creating intricate low ground shrubbery. Together, they paint a wonderful example of growing and remaining strong against elements that surely would leave me parched…tired…overheated…in need of a TALL drink of water.

Today, I decided at 11 am to go for a walk through our neighborhood. I checked the temperature (83) and had a quick wave of “why didn’t I go sooner” float through my mind. Oh well, I told myself. I can do this. Yes, it’s hot, but you’ve walked in the heat before. Wear comfortable clothing. Get on your good shoes. Take a water bottle with you. Those self coaching phrases carried me as I made my way around the paved road that gives me just over a mile walk. 

Thankful that I brought my water with me, I enjoyed stopping several times in shaded spots to sip on my cool relief….the neighborhood was quiet except for one couple working in their yard….no kids outside playing or riding bikes….workers present laying fiber for new internet services in our community…every one of them looked pretty warm under the sun…one guy was under an umbrella on the equipment he was using to dig a trench (smart, I thought to myself)…each one of the guys smiled and said “hello” as I passed by. One young man said “good morning, it’s a warm one! But I’m not complaining!” (could he have been remembering how much snow we all shoveled last winter?)

Unlike cactus plants that thrive day in and day out under scorching temperatures, I know I would not…could not survive extended periods of life living in desert like conditions. I need rain. I need cool breezes. I need cloudy days. I need shade. I need water. I need someone looking after my daily needs. My “someone” is the good Lord, Who has earned the title Creator of ALL in my book of faith…I can look and marvell at His handiwork in a HUGE desert and pull much joy from the beautiful views and contrast of dry dirt to lush covered mountains…cracks in hard ground…tiny crevices shared by flowers that have made their way from earth’s darkness to life giving light.

Such was…such is…my life. By God’s grace He planted a seed in my soul years ago…a seed that has grown and matured through seasons of life that have been filled with great joy, grief, disappointments, sadness, losses…yet, years that produced harvests from His faithfulness and tender care, all serving as reminders and examples of a life lived pushing through…seeking…allowing wind, rain, sunshine and changing of seasons to grow me up against ALL odds…even when I’ve taken the casual/lazy approach to life….I think I’ll go check on my tiny seeds…see what they need, coax them a little bit more.