Sadly I have again fallen off the blogwagon. The more often I do it though, the more grace I am giving myself so there is minimal guilt from my end this time. However, something struck me the other day and I wanted to share it with whomever is still checking this blog after such a hiatus.
The front of our house is landscaped with a variety of flowers and bushes. In the 4 years we have lived here they have done fair - nothing to write home about, but not horrid either. With the exception of one. The rhododendron. The first summer we lived here it was basically a dead looking single stick with about three leaves on it. Throughout the season nothing changed. No more leaves. No flowers. Nothing. Summer two - there was two sticks, still dead looking, and still with only a few leaves on each stick. Summer three showed mild improvement with an increase in the number of leaves but still certainly nothing resembling a flower or even a bud. Pathetic. Multiple times over the past three summers I have told my husband that we should just dig it up, throw it out, and put it out of it's misery (and mine). Not sure why we didn't except digging it up would be work and, well, I garden by neglect and laziness for the most part. Anyway, it stayed. This spring it was looking a bit better, but still not very encouraging. I again thought that some garden euthanasia was in order but didn't act on it. One day I was out admiring my husband's work on our front lawn (you go honey!) and I glanced at it and there was what resembled the start of a tiny bud on the top of one of the dead looking sticks! I dismissed it thinking that surely nothing good could ever come from such a struggling, sad plant. It was a few weeks later when my husband nonchalantly said, "Hey honey, that bush bloomed." I assumed he was talking about a different bush so I looked over and LO AND BEHOLD, the rhododendron was supporting a whole mess of beautiful pink flowers! I stood there amazed that there were actually flowers on the dead sticks! I ran for my camera and snapped a picture of it. Later that night I got to thinking about how amazing God's handiwork is. Isn't it just like God to take something that looked pathetic and lifeless - something I would have gladly throw in the garbage - and make something bright, new, and gorgeous from it! Sounds like salvation to me and I, for one, and so thankful that God chose not to throw me out when I was lifeless and dead looking with sin. Instead he gave me new life. Wow. And you thought it was just a flower :)
Have a blessed Memorial Day.
Take time to stop and be thankful for those who gave all for your freedom. I don't understand this kind of courage but thank God there are so many that find it everyday to protect what we take for granted in this country.
Kendra
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