Good Wednesday morning! I couldn't think of anything to write, so the Lord sent me out to dig. Now after a couple of hours of digging, I can barely type. Kind of a rough transition between different types of work there. Yes, writing is technically working even if it doesn't seem much like real work. I know that I don't consider writing to be real work, especially after handling shovels and a tamper for a while. Yesterday I just couldn't bring myself to do much work outside. The hail did enough damage that it is a little depressing to see all that work looking so poorly. However, I am reminded of a certain fellow who appreciated the shade of a plant outside of Nineveh. He didn't plant the seed, water the soil, or till the weeds down, but it sure was a nice plant. Until it croaked and died that is. I didn't make the trees grow or the flowers come up, but I kind of take a little ownership of them and felt the sting when the plants were hurt. That may be the only interesting thing about that History channel show I griped about; the one about all the people being gone. The show does assume that plants will do just fine without us and the Bible says a similar thing. We can make irrigation systems in an imitation of God, but the real watering is done by His rain and rivers. We can plant seeds, but not create them. We can even pray for plants, but God's will makes them grow. But it is so easy to complain when something in nature comes along and destroys those same plants.
We are reminded to be grateful to God because it is so easy in this life to complain. Why do we complain? One reason might be an injury or pain. Those complaints are something we can bring to God to receive His strength, healing, and comfort. But the complaints that come from circumstances we don't like are a little different. How many times have you heard someone say, "God hates me!" when a business deal or project falls apart? That isn't fair to God and we know from the Bible that it isn't true. Now if you complain, "God hates my sin!" you certainly are correct. We have a direct line for repentance and forgiveness there. Those general complaints about things we cannot change though might get a little annoying to God. We are to live lives of gratitude and joy. God can fix hurting or give us the strength to endure, but He seems to have a hard time with that grumbling attitude of defeat. Remember the folks wanting to go back to Egypt and be slaves again? God didn't seem to like that attitude very much in the Bible stories.
I think that a little bit of landscaping work in the morning is good for me. Certainly my attitude has changed for the better. Outside I notice that the hail didn't hurt the soil and those plants are already at work recovering and growing; they didn't give up. Something in the world may kick us down a bit from time to time, but we have work to do and a God who loves us! Give 'er all ya got!
Bucky
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