Dry Ground and Lilacs

With yesterday being a holiday I decided to take a long walk. The Weather Channel promised thunderstorms in the afternoon (which never materialized) so I set off in the morning. The old railway tracks along the southern side of the city have been torn up to make a walking path. My goal was to follow the tracks. As I was walking it occurred to me that it had been many years since I had visited the cemetery where my parents are buried. Since I was in the southern end of the city I took a right at the end of the walking path and headed in that direction.

It's early in the season, which might explain my dismay when I got to the cemetery, found my parents' headstone and saw the condition of the grounds. Pretty sad. I know there are all kinds of prohibitions against chemicals for garden use, but a little "Weed & Feed" would have been a great idea in the cemetery.

I think my life needs a little "Weed & Feed" too. As I read the Scriptures this morning from Psalms 133-135, I was struck by the continual injunction to "praise the Lord." I don't feel like it and for that I am ashamed because I have no reason not to praise the Lord. I am blessed far beyond anything I can imagine. At the same time I feel flat, uninspired, discouraged and frustrated.

"Weed and Feed." It's time to take a close look at the reasons for the above. I think I can identify the "dandelions" and find the parched soil. The process begins with what I didn't feel like doing this morning, praising God—whether I "feel" like it or not.

"Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good, sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant…I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The Lord does what pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses…Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, through all generations. For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants" —Psalm 135:3, 5-7, 13, 14 NIV.

A cool breeze floats through the window as I write, bringing with it the scent of honeysuckle and lilacs. I remember the path I traveled before I got to the cemetery. Amongst the weeds and the dry ground, there is beauty and joy and reason to praise the Lord.

Comments

  1. Anonymous25 May 2010 at 09:43

    Me gusta lo que escribiste. Siempre hay una razón para Alabar al Señor.El Señor hace todo lo que quiere en los cielos y en la tierra, en los mares y en todos sus abismos. El Señor es bueno,
    Marisol Zamorano

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laury25 May 2010 at 11:24

    Good word today. I need to be more intentional about praising the Lord, too. Good reminder.

    ReplyDelete

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