foundation priorities

It was a beautiful day, but it was Monday. The list of chores needing attention was long from procrastination already. I'm still not sure what took me toward the back corner of the house, probably more chore avoidance, but there I stood. As I rounded the corner of the house I saw that the foundation was lifted off the ground about 4 inches. Rather, the ground had eroded about 4 inches away from the foundation. This looked serious.

The rest of my day was spent in mixing hydraulic cement (because I learned it does not shrink like regular cement), hauling rocks, trips to the hardware store, hauling more rocks, pouring cement, gravel, quick-crete, sand and water to fill in the areas where my house was threatened.

Like houses, lives need attention to foundations too. Busyness can become so all-encompassing that it does not allow for maintenance. Relational foundations begin to crumble, or pull apart, and may not be noticed until there is some serious damage done. This becomes a priority. Other plans must sometimes be laid aside long enough to avert a crisis in a timely fashion. In relationships, this is done with time, care, and love. Are the things which define our relationships held up by activities we can participate in whole-heartedly? Have we changed in what we like to do? Has the other person changed in ways that make it so that we are no longer as close as we once were? Taking time to know one another well, and to care for each other enough to be able to share events, advice, tears and laughter, will keep relational foundations strong.

With God, foundations can become brittle too. Having a to-do list of religious activity is not the same as building relationship with him. Belief systems that run contrary to God's character and to his Word can sift away the ground beneath an otherwise firm foundation. Many people believe there are several ways to have a relationship with God, but he makes it clear that the only way that will stand is through knowing his Son, Christ Jesus. We may realize that we have not been believing God about this foundational issue. Perhaps the foundations of relationship with him have crumbled due to hardship, bitterness, or sin. Fortunately, if this is found in time, the foundation is fairly easily mended through repentance and prayer. The relationship once again becomes strong.

It took a lot of hard work today for me to repair damage my foundation. I am sore and tired, and have less money in my wallet, but it was worth it. Finally, things on my house are looking secure again, but now I know to check on the foundation once in a while even when things seem o.k.

I Corinthians 3:11 "for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

tree grafting

I am the vine, you are the branches. Shows how grafting really is done. Sweet!

The View from Hope Garden: Wick

It is the time of year when new life seems to spring from everywhere. The air becomes fragrant and the urge to return to the garden grows strong. I've never claimed to have much of a green thumb, but what I do have is an insatiable desire to dig in the dirt. Over the years, my garden has given me peace (peas), time (thyme) to dream, and food for thought. Most of all, my garden has taught me to Hope. I plant things, and then I HOPE they grow. You too? Join me as I share some of the insights Hope Garden has taught me.

Today's thought: Just because it looks dead, doesn't mean it is.

I looked at the pot at the corner of my front porch. Left in a sheltered spot throughout the winter, it should have been safe from any harm. Still, the twigs poking up from the little bit of earth there did not look promising. They looked dead. Thinking my green thumb had turned black once again, I tried to decide whether or not to discard the apparently lifeless plant. Then I remembered a line from "The Secret Garden".

"It's wick." says Dicken, the boy from the story. He showed how even things that appear to be dead and useless can have life and value in them. There is no life that is wasted or without value. None of us knows what the future holds, and it may become a glorious garden if we don't give up too soon.

So I took one small snip off the end of a stick in that pot. You guessed it. It was "wick". The pot will stay and continue to hold it's treasure. Treasure? Now it's a treasure? Oh yes. Because now I have hope for my plant. Hope always brings a treasure.

What is it in your own life that looks like there is nothing left but to give up and throw it out? Is it a dream you thought should be in full bloom by now? or perhaps a relationship that seems to be going through a frosty season? Let me ask you, does it have life INSIDE, perhaps, that you cannot see easily from where you currently stand? Want to find out? Spend some time with that person, or situation. Take the time to learn if it is "wick". Let the life within it, and you, produce hope for the beauty that will come as the season changes.

Song of Songs 2:11-12, "See! the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land."