Fruitful or fruitless

I’ve just been tidying up the raspberry canes. The late variety which produces huge berries is now on the dinner menu for ever larger wasps. I brought in two while wasps are devouring about a dozen.

Yesterday I heard a gardening expert on the radio mention that her apple crop has not happened this year because the wet spring prevented the bees and insects from pollinating them. 

The weather has really messed up our harvest this year. First of all the insects laid low while the flowers withered on the dripping trees, and now wasps are destroying the berry crop in a way I’ve not seen before.

I’ve been thinking about effective sowing of the Kingdom. Yes, I know that sowing is different from pollination, but it just made me think that there may be people ‘out there’ who are open to receiving good news of God’s love for them, but the environment they are in is preventing anyone from getting to them. People in countries where Christians are persecuted, for instance. But then that reminds me that God doesn’t actually need to use people, though he often chooses to do so. I’ve heard of instances where muslims in China, for instance, have had visions and dreams of Jesus and realized the truth of the gospel before any Christians shared it with them. Must remember to pray more for people in that situation.

Then I think of those big beautiful red rasps which are being mauled and devoured by wasps, and I think of Christians who allow culture and lifestyle to spoil the sweetness and nourishment of the message they should be feeding to those in their friendship circle. 

I hope and pray that I can be a big red rasp for others to be nourished on today – not pesky wasps, but those who hunger and thirst for truth.

Head Space

I feel pathetic.

Jesus lived a very communal lifestyle. He travelled with a large group of people. Sometimes he camped out; sometimes he stayed with friends. When people knew he was around, he was mobbed. 

Yet he still set aside time to be alone with his Father. Even if that meant rising before dawn and meeting him in the hills. Even if that meant being out on the hills with him all night long. He knew he needed to create head space so that he could keep alive his relationship with his Father in heaven.

He may have been crowded physically, but he never let himself be crowded mentally / spiritually. He drew boundaries and kept them. He knew what was most important and that was what he did.

I’ve been living with a full house for awhile, and it is set to continue. I’ve watched my quiet times become eroded. I’ve watched that happen. I haven’t succeeded in preventing or circumventing it. Others would understand. I wouldn’t be persecuted if I said I needed an hour on my own with God. There are empty rooms. There are ways to accomplish so simple a task.

And yet very often I don’t. I allow the untidy house to dictate my actions. I live with a Martha mentality rather than a Mary mentality. 

And as I do that, I watch myself sink. I don’t see many instances of the Spirit dictating my attitudes and words – more instances of my own natural, sinful self coming to the fore again.

Lord, help me in this to be more like you. Forgive me for blaming my circumstances for my poor choices and lack of self-discipline. Enable me to walk the talk more day by day.

I don’t want to feel pathetic any more.