Cut Backs, Set Backs, Gotch'a Backs

 Ok. I'm that gardener who would totes be that one to go out in the rain to dig and plant. (UMMM. Confession: I have.)  I love love love flowers and growing things. BUT I know and realize-loads of you might NOT like to garden. To you it's not a beautiful thing. IT'S WORK. Though I beg to differ on that fact, this blog post is not going to be truly about gardening per se so give it a read even if the title freaked you out. The truth's in here. It's just a little under the soil today.

Here's 2 garden facts that echo true in life:  
1) DEAD WOOD NEEDS CUTTING AND PRUNING OUT.
Dead wood NEEDS cutting and pruning out. It's DEAD. 

I'm so sorry. Something might be being removed right now.  It may hurt a little as we WATCH it be removed, but we are making room for NEW LIFE. That's how this works. We can let it go ok?

TRUTH:  I fearfully and tearfully left the DEAD undergrowth in my big front hedge in for several YEARS. When I finally took my clippers out I was sad to see the big hole I made, but the new growth that filled that space was amazing. It recovered. Oh dear one, you will too. Something new will fill that space. Let it go. It's dead wood. We all need reminders on this:

NEW GROWTH NEEDS ROOM TO GROW.  DEAD WOOD WILL JUST DISPLACE IT'S SPACE. 

That's important. That NEW thing can't spring up in the area where we are still using it's growing space to hold onto a big dead thing. Moreover:
2) KEEP WHAT'S GOOD. THROW OUT WHAT'S NOT.
WE HAVE TO THROW OUT WHAT'S NOT GOOD- SO IT DOESN'T TAKE OVER AND INVADE THE SPACE.

There's root rot and fungus that will take over OUR heart and mind. Keep what is GOOD. Throw out what is NOT. Don't let it invade.

TRUTH: I hate tackling disease in the garden. It freaks me out a little because I LOVE my plants and hate to see them (excuse me for saying this) "hurting".But you can't just ignore invasive fungi and molds and think they will go away! It doesn't!

Same thing IS truth in life. Keep what's good. Throw out what's not.

So here's my fearful and tearful gardener confessions so far this year:
a) Firstly, this year my beautiful hedge of wine and roses weigela around our pool got "twig blight".  Those Burgundy leaves around our white above ground pool is for me such great joy- it made the eyesore pretty!. To see it diseased and twiggy instead of lush and full made me sad. BUT for me it was another reminder: You can't just leave the dead wood there! It ain't growing back.  It's DEAD. I ignored it but it seems to be getting worse. Time to lovingly clip away. Making space for new life. It WILL grow back or it WILL spread. And I have a choice. I'm fighting for it.

b)Secondly, this spring I bought roadside geraniums (great deal!) for my front gardens.  Though I instinctively wondered about the yellowing leaves I was assured it was just "sunburn" by the very caring and "knowledgable" workers. Closer inspection at home led me to discover I should have gone with my gut. I had plant rust. And the plants? As they grew they were dropping flowers and leaves before they even opened. They were dying. I WANTED to throw them ALL OUT out of fear of that stinking rust taking over.. but the frugal side of me was not going to buy a whole bunch of new geraniums. So you know what? I've been cutting back every stinking leaf with rust, I've been fertilizing and NEW GREEN LIFE IS SPRINGING FORTH.

So- for those of you who say gardening is work- well... um.... yes. This post will affirm it. It is. It IS. It's sweaty and dirty and makes your body ache. But its beautiful too.

And here's the thing:

 Life is work too, friends. It's sweaty and dirty. BUT it's beautiful too. We've got to cut out the dead wood.  We've GOT TO. We've got to throw out what' s rotting or diseased in our hearts and minds. We've GOT TO. It's imperative for OUR health too.

As I clip my  plants I hear it in my mind... "It's just dead wood. It's not life giving.". But it is oh so hard for ME to clip and watch that hole I've made. It's SO visible.  It seems so UGLY. Maybe your hurt is so visible. Maybe your pain is so UGLY. Maybe yours loss is so visible AND ugly . Oh friend-- I am so sorry. He feels for all our HURT. He hurts for all our hurt. His heart bleeds for those moments when we even try to see what's good and what's not and get just a little ready to painfully release it. 

I just know there's something to cut back today and release- hurt, anger, disappointment, jealousy, fear...

I don't know what it is but it's not life giving. It's DEAD. Let it go.  And the beautiful thing is that in these cut backs and set backs...  HE'S GOT OUR BACKS.  We aren't alone. We partner WITH Him.  When we listen and let it go- He's getting ready to soon put you on show. You're going to revive and be oh so beautiful.  Please wait with tears mingled with joy and expectation because it's coming.  IT'S COMING! There's new green life springing up and it's going to fill that empty space.  

You are safe, you're loved, you matter. And His plans for you are good.