dirt grows flowers

Yesterday, around midafternoon, I found myself feeling pretty mournful. I was sick of seeing the enemy at work and the way that men live out of their sinful nature. I was walking near a Starbucks and called my dad.

After a few minutes of talking he could tell that I was upset and He asked me if I was pms-ing. After responding "no," I shared with him some of the general things that I was grieving and frustrated about. My dad sympathetically shared some words of wisdom. We then talked about societies that deserve tyrannical rule when their men are so passive that they fail to fight for justice and stand up for what is right and how that was different than enduring persecution for one's faith. I shared with him how much comfort I had been finding in Psalm 34:21-22. It says,"Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems His servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him." After that he prayed for me.

As we talked, I found myself walking through Lowe's. I love hardware stores, I kind of feel at home in them. There are so many fun things to look at, touch and smell! So many different projects one could conquer with a little creativity, geometry and hard work, and a t-square! And yes, for me there are so many sweet memories of following my dad down isles trying to find the right nuts and bolts to secure whatever it was he was working on.

As my dad's prayer ended, I was in the garden section of the store. I stood surrounded by pots of planted flowers and trees, living things that the good Lord had made. I lingered in the isles. I walked up and down them all, looking at the grasses, the moss, the trees, the cacti, the bushes, the vegetable plants and of course the flowers in all their bright varieties. I smelled their flowers and touched their leaves.

Aren't they pretty?

Well, as I looked at all these flowers in their planter pots of dirt, I thought about the dirt...

...and the nutrients in the dirt and how they help the flowers grow with proper watering and sun exposure. And I was thankful. I was very thankful that God is God. He comforts those who are in pain. He redeems His servants. He makes flowers from dirt. He trades weakness for strength, ashes for beauty, death for life, and sin for sanctity. God is gracious and I do love seeing Him work for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purposes. Yes, yes, I was thankful for His reminder to claim hope in the suffering, even when the suffering was and is not my own.