Unruly Problems

Everyone I know has been itching for spring to arrive. Even people who don't like to garden are celebrating the bursting forth of buds on the trees and tulips popping up their heads in response to warmth and sunshine.
About a month ago, as I walked in and out of my home, I noticed wonderful clusters of green showing up in various places in my garden. Even when a dust of snow would appear, the green would resist the elements and stay alive.
Oh how happy I was to see some green again!

My mind curiously began to wonder:  what perennial is now beginning to grow back?
Often from one year to next, I forget what perennial I planted where - and therefore spring becomes somewhat of a "treasure hunt".

In the past few years, I've discovered that if I allow a certain annual to remain in the garden right through the fall and into the winter, it will leave copious amounts of seeds that regrow in abundance the next year. What a pleasant discovery! Not only that, but this annual resists cold and continues to deliver lovely white scented flowers mixed with large tufts of green  right into the first harsh cold days of winter.

Between a busy fall and the decision to leave a certain annual... I neglected to fully clear out my gardens as we moved into late fall. I actually liked the look of the various tones of all the browning leaves and the artistic expression they created on the canvas of my garden soil.

Yesterday I finally got to cleaning out my garden.

The small cute, delicate bundles of green that were a welcome sight just a month ago, were out in large groups to greet me. Some even had lovely white flowers to entice me. Problem was.. for the most part, they were all WEEDS.

As usual, my perennials were also popping up, in the carefully planned locations that they had been originally placed. These bright green bundles though had decided it was time to dominate, multiply and take up the real estate of my precious black soil.


Weed - noun

• a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop
• any undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted: The vacant lot was covered with weeds.

One of the ways God speaks to me is through metaphors. Since becoming a professional coach, the value and message of metaphors has only intensified for me and it has become an incredible tool in my practice. 

Metaphor - noun

•  a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally      applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.” 
• something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol.

Did you know that a metaphor has the ability to actually create a shift in your thinking and perspective? 

It can actually alter certain neural pathways in your brain.

Metaphors give us a picture of what is, or what could be. Often knowing reality or truth in our head isn't enough for us. We often need to see it in action in order to get a picture of the real impact. 

The right metaphor at the right time can kick start us from knowledge - into experience, action and impact.

Jesus Christ used the power of metaphors in the parables he told. He told allegorical stories to paint a picture in our minds to illustrate and teach a truth.

My garden clean out day, became yet another opportunity for tremendous illustration that drove home a truth and caused me to shift my perspective and make new choices for the future.

And here it is in a nutshell:
 Leaving what seemed like a "beautiful thing" a "last glimmer of life and beauty" in my garden became my excuse not to give my soil the necessary preparation for winter. 

As I write this post, I stop for a moment and google: "importance of cleaning out gardens in the fall"

Oh boy... now it's really hitting home!

Within 15 seconds I see pages of links on this important gardening step. Here's the first thing I click on:

It’s important to clean up all the dead foliage every fall, because garden pests and plant diseases can overwinter in garden debris and cause problems in the garden next year.

No kidding!!! 

Yesterday as my husband and I gardened, we were muttering and complaining about these "unruly problems". What was supposed to be a fun discovery of spring and preparation for growth, ended up being a weed extraction on the mammoth scale!
Not only had these unruly problems taken over real estate on my beautiful black soil, they had creeped onto the lawn. 

By the end of it all, I had a garbage can full of pests  -   a garden that had holes - lost alot of precious soil AND some nasty, pesky roots still trying to hang onto it's turf.

Lesson learned. Metaphor burned into my mind, my spirit, my memory.

As I dug and picked out weeds, I kept asking myself:

What "good or beautiful things" have I decided to keep present longer than what is best? 

What "healthy steps" or "principles" or "processes" have I avoided that are impacting me now?

What are the necessary steps I must take as I exit one season and move into another?

Great questions, and lots of great truths that I am taking away from my time in my garden.

Every choice we make today impacts us in our future. 

Wisdom and truth can become our friend and support structure for future success. 

Doing what feels right or enjoyable in the moment, can be a set up for future "unruly problems" that rob the landscape of our lives and can cost us and take "seasons of time" to bring back into a healthy balance.

What might this metaphor be speaking to you?

The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security  - Proverbs 2

1 My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
3 For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;
4 If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD
And discover the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones.
9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice
And equity and every good course.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul

The Power Of Preparation

God is teaching me lately to NEVER underestimate the power of preparation and servant hood.

There have been many many areas where I have volunteered over my lifetime, and there have been days, when I have wondered, "Why am I doing this?!! I'm not getting paid!! Am I wasting my time?" In these moments of "soulish" thinking, God always reminds me of the scripture in Ephesians 6:7-8

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

He always reminds me that He is the one who led me to serve in those areas, and that ultimately it was Him that I was serving, and He always keep an account of our servant hood before Him. We do however have to be careful that we are not serving to gain recognition, or affirmation from others, but if God has led you there, then He will reward you in it. He has a plan of preparation for your life that is not your thinking, but His divine plan.

The word PREPARE means:

To fit, adapt, or qualify for a particular purpose or condition; to make ready; to put into a state for use or application; as, to prepare ground for seed; to prepare a lesson.
To procure as suitable or necessary; to get ready; to provide; as, to prepare ammunition and provisions for troops; to prepare ships for defense;

God will use even the most difficult of situations to prepare us. He may not intended for those difficult situations, however He will teach us and give us strategies in these circumstances that will prepare us even more for what He has in store for us. Eph. 6 says that He will reward EVERYONE for whatever good he does.

Gods reward system doesn't look like the world's reward system. I have not been able to completely understand His reward system, however, I have been able to experience some of it.

Often His rewards look like, peace, or an increase of knowledge, an understanding of His character or a certain attribute, or learning the value of servant hood. The list is endless and custom tailored to what you need.
If God has asked you to serve in an area, then it is never a waste of time. During seasons of servant hood, He is working deep lessons into your spirit man, and having you partner with Him to sow seeds of righteousness that may not surface a bear fruit for a time. But make no mistake, they will bear fruit. God cannot go against His laws of sowing and reaping.

Of late, God has been showing me all the skills that I have learned while serving and volunteering. He has been showing me that all this time, He has been training and preparing me for His ultimate purpose for my life. He has had a "custom-made destiny" set up for me, and all the preparation, and days of serving have been in His plan. How exciting!! All this time, He has been setting me up. He is setting you up. No lesson or experience is a waste of time in His kingdom.
So today, if you are a little weary in well-doing, remember that you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ and he always keeps an accurate record. And He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He's the best investment plan that I know.

For I know the plans I have for You, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

God, today we choose to submit to Your plans for our lives, recognizing that wherever we are serving right now, is part of Your plan for preparation. Help us to remember that all we do is for you. Our lives are a reflection of worship before You, and You see it all.

You Get What You Ask For

You Get What You Ask For

I had the distinct pleasure of going for an early morning walk with my oldest daughter, Alyssa.

You know - You get what you ask for.

All my life, I anticipated being a mother and I had dreams of, and prayed for a deep meaningful relationship with my children.

Jesus had alot to say to us about asking. My sense is that He doesn't have a problem with us asking Him for things, as long as we're prepared to hear His answer. Here are some words from Jesus about asking.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

One of the things I always asked God for, was to be able to have open communication with my children, and for them to feel comfortable sharing everything in their lives. This morning as I walked with my daughter, I was breathing in the brisk mountain air and reveling in the beauty of creation around me;when her chatter brought me back to reality.

It is said that on average women say 7,000 words per day. I would have to say that my daughter breaks that record a few times over. She definitely has the gift of gab. As she chatted away, I smiled and God reminded me that she is all that I had asked for. He reminded me the truth of the above scriptures and that I needed to thank Him for answering my prayer. You see, if I chose, I could have focused on the fact that her chatter was jolting me out of my inpirational walk, but instead, I choose to thank God and see that He loves to give us the desire of our hearts. In response Alyssa is being all that I asked for.
She can't help but be that. If I believe for it, it will come.

The key is acknowledging His miraculous provision.

This day, despite any obstacles standing in my way, I choose to stop and look and see the provision of the Lord to me. He knows my every desire, and longs to fulfill each one.

"You have given him his heart's desire, And You have not withheld the request of his lips." Psalm 21:2

Bought Some Seeds And Plants Today!

Well, the weather in Kelowna this winter has been one of the most severe that they have had in many years. Usually Kelowna has very mild winters, but this year, was more like a traditional Ontario winter. A fair bit of snow, especailly for these parts. I think it's cool how God chooses to water the earth, even with the snow.
Kelowna is a desert climate, so we get very little rain. Last summer I think it rained 2 days in 2 months. So.............. like my friend Amy, I'm grateful that God is choosing to water the earth with snow. It sure makes these mountains look even more beautiful, and will make the hills and mountains be well watered, come the spring.

I was craving the green of the earth today, so I bought a few seed packets in preparation for the spring, and spent a whole $10 and got myself some happy flowers and fresh little plants. I love spending a half hour on a grey day in a warm greenhouse, admiring all the beautiful flowers.

There is so much to learn from the Lord by sowing seeds, and watching them grow into maturity. Sowing seeds and seeing them come to fullness is not as easy as it looks, the more precious, unique or fragile the plant, the harder it is to maintain the perfect environment for the seed to come into the fullness of life and beauty that it was destined to be. Kinda sounds like you and I doesn't it?

Truth be told, we are all uniquely wired, we are a one of a kind creation, and the destiny that God has for each of us is extremely intricate. We need to be sure we take the time and seek the "Sun" and Rain of His presence so that the seeds of destiny that He has for us, come into complete fullness and maturity.

This reminds me of the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13.
Jesus made his teachings simple for us, by speaking in parables and using ordinary objects that we could relate to and learn from. So, I'm off to meditate on this scripture, take some time to sow some seeds, and ask the Lord how I can produce a plentiful crop.