Goodness, mid August has arrived with beautiful warm days with a spattering of nice rain mixed in during the week. Although some of my flowers are beginning to end their cycle of vibrancy, our lawn is a lush green….vegetable plants are beginning to yield their produce…and to my delight our blackberry bushes are going nuts!  For a couple weeks now I’ve been able to pick a bowl full of these delightful berries…some are making their way to the freezer for cold winter enjoyment…others have been devoured fresh with a dollop of greek yogurt as a healthy garnish!

I remember when I planted my first berry bush. Quite honestly, I thought I had purchased a red raspberry…turns out they are black. I nursed this lone plant for two years…much to my surprise and delight I now have quite a row of plants. I haven’t bothered to “tame” or “train” their growth…they look rather unkempt, much like a toddler’s head of hair after a good nap or wrestling on the floor. But I don’t care. I have berries!

Picking them is a nice leisurely activity except for the thorns. I’m also intrigued by how well hidden some of the berries are…hiding under leaves … .growing in small clumps deep inside all the growth of the strong tall canes. Getting to those hidden treasures is a challenge not to become “stuck” to a thorny vine,  or worse, suffering a painful poke to a finger or arm. Challenges and anticipation of a thorn meeting up with my skin is a risk I’m willing to take in order to harvest my own berries … .one less item to pay high price for at farmers’ markets or the grocer.

Today, while I carefully reached deep into the center growth of my bushes, I began to think about the hidden things of God.  As I sat down to write, I also looked online for scripture that talks about what I felt as I picked my berries…

Your word I have treasured in my heart,

That I may not sin against You. Psalm 119: 11

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Matthew 13:44

I marvel at how one small berry bush I purchased a while back is now tall, bushy, vines in every direction, producing an abundance of berries and giving birth to “new” canes that are popping up in the grass nearby. And even though my berry patch is under a tree that is also growing tall and wider–providing some shade–the berries are still finding their way from late spring blossoms to fully ripened fruit. It’s also enchanting to be working away filling a bowl while bees buzz around me, completely content to do their work without bothering me.

Today, I am grateful for two kinds of treasure. One, an abundance of berries both very visible to my eye and the ones deep inside the thorny branches. Second, a sweeter harvest to glean from everyday…God’s Word…which I DO treasure in my heart…and which I DO rejoice over as I discover His promises..and thankfully His bounty comes without thorns.