It’s raining! What a wonderful sound to wake up to. In Kenya, the tribe we did Bible translation with would say, “Waakh aderr.” God is crying. It is always a sign of blessing and it is always good. During El Ninya, the water was up to our knees on the roads and travel was dicey. I asked my Kenyan friend, “Is it ever appropriate to ask God to stop the rain?” He looked at me in shock. “We never ask the rain to stop! We pray, ‘God, thank you for the rain but please remember that we are but dust!’”
The calendar for May 28 shares, “He who plants thorns must never expect to gather roses. (unknown) and then ‘…every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Thus, by their fruit you will know them. Matthew 7:17,18’” I looked the verse up and it is set in the context of being careful of false prophets, deceitful people. Today we call it the scam. If it is too good to be true, it is too good to be true.
Perhaps we can say that ultimately God sends the rain (all your scientists must realize I am not talking scientifically but drawing a parallel) but the plant that grows will depend upon the seed that is planted. So as I ponder the garden of my life, today I pray to be more aware of the seeds I plant. Do I spread gossip and despair and hate or do I encourage and nourish with seeds of future hope. In spite of this pandemic, the Bethany Community Garden is growing vegetables, have new wire frames for the plants to climb, and bring hope of a harvest, not of thorns and perhaps not of roses but vegetables to nourish the hungry. Thanks guys! Blessings
On the Way to Wonder 