Morning Musings From My Patio…Another lesson

It is a gloriously beautiful morning!  I am sitting out on my back patio listening to the birds singing their little hearts away.  The promise of spring is in the air today. 

I can feel the anticipation of new growth and new beginnings as I sit here, taking it all in...the gentle cool breeze, the warmth of the intense Nevada sun, the trilling of the birds, and the sound of the water cascading down over the rocks of the waterfall in my backyard pond.

 As my eyes seek out each stump of dried old flowers and the still bare limbs of the trees and bushes, my mind begins the mental checklist of things that still need to be done to ready the gardens.Things like cleaning out the dead brush and sticks...it's so much easier to cut back the old growth that was left for winter protection before the new growth gets tangled up with it. 

My mind continues down the list...thinking of those things that will need to be done to make room for the new growth that has been laying dormant all winter and now is just waiting to burst forth with new tender shoots reaching up toward the sun.  I even think of the spring blooming Lilacs, whose buds actually formed late summer or fall and lie dormant until they are ready to burst open...it is important to prune  the flowers directly after they flower, if you wait too long you risk cutting off the already growing buds for next year. 

What a picture of spiritual renewal the Lord gives us through the season of Spring!  I think that I love that this is not a one-time occurence, but an event that needs to take place year after year in order for the plants to remain healthy. 

It's important to know exactly the best time for the pruning of each type of plant if you want to make room for healthy growth.  The plants are always ready to grow and flourish through the seasons, but the right conditions must be met in order for this to happen. When those conditions are not met, the plant can remain stunted and unhealthy; some won't produce the fruit they are meant to produce and some will even shrivel up and die off completely. 

The same is true in our own lives.  We need to allow God to cut back those things in our lives that are keeping us from producing the fruit of the Spirit.  Sometimes we need to choose to let go of things in our lives that we have been so desperately holding on to. We need to let go because they are  keeping us from growing and flourishing in our journey with God.

Yep! Spring is in the air! There are still so many things I  need to do in order to prepare the garden of my heart for the work that the Master Gardener has planned for me.  How about you?