Feeling Dusty?

The speaker asked a piercing question that zeroed in on its intended target:  my heart.

"Do I let the fragments and particles of the world collect on my soul?"

Starting with an analogy, he shared, "My wife wondered why her plant wasn't growing right. She went to get advice from a gardener who told her that if she dusted the plant it would be able to get the light it needed and grow better." Sure enough the trick worked.

He compared this dusty plant to our lives. Thought provoking questions followed.

By leaving unconfessed sin alone to accumulate, do I keep from receiving the light God has to share?

Do I dismiss the little things, thinking that they alone can not hurt my walk with God -- only to turn around and find that a whole impermeable layer has formed?

Do we let the little hurts and ugly words add to that layer, adding them to our baggage rather than brushing them off and forgiving the source?

John 8:12 "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' "

Shortly after this talk, I attended a garden party at a friend's house. This friend has over 200 species from around the world planted and labeled with both botanical and common names, from lamb's ear to this really huge red Hawaiian looking thing that I wouldn't have imagined growing here in PA.

The front of the house is a small ranch on a shady tree lined street. You might even pass this little sampling of God's incredibly diverse world if you didn't know where to look.

Walking through the garden, you become aware of bees buzzing busily on a particularly favorite ornate purple flower, flowers in transition with some fading and some starting to bloom, and a tiny train circling a miniature display of unique varieties running through the center oval. His flowers bloom from March to November, taking a much needed rest in the winter.

This friend shares openly his own prodigal son stories and his incredible faith through many of life's trials, beginning with the pressures of a being a pastor's kid to drug and alcohol abuse to a failed marriage and broken relationship with his son. He now has a lovely wife but it took him many years to shake off the dust, receive the light of the Lord and move on. He still faces trials but now he can do so with hope and peace. His garden is his testimony of God working in his life and he is now sharing with others.

With these two botanical blessings, I felt the Lord giving me some very important pointers regarding issues in my own life: Forgive, let it go, move on. I will admit I am not the greatest duster in the world and I do tend to keep things in piles to deal with later, including emotions. I enjoy knowing I have the Holy Spirit who gives me the strength to get out the polish and start shining up my soul so that there is nothing stopping the light from getting in or shining right back out.

Have you seen your spiritual feather duster lately?

Comments

[Mozi Esme's Mommy]

What great analogies! I've got some dusting of my own to do.

[mamajil]

Great post...I suddenly feel the need to dust myself off!! :)