June in Kentucky
This week has been one of those quiet weeks in June; it is
the kind of week I like when summer comes to our hills and valleys here in Kentucky. It is the
time when the freshness of the morning dew gives way to the afternoon heat. It
is a time when thundershowers are welcome and the trees sway in the breeze.
Even flowers boast in their brightest apparel. The geraniums show off their red
and white dresses, petunias raise their multi-colored faces and give the world
their biggest smile and day lilies in shades of yellow, orange and gold, dance
a happy jig in the evening breeze.
June is a happy month. Kindness seems to leak out at the Farmer’s Market as the smells of fresh
fruits and vegetables become the backdrop for cheery discussions. Ladies
sharing their favorite recipe of fruit pies, and the ole’ gents tell what their
secret is to growing a bountiful supply in their gardens.
My morning walk is a time of quietness; only my footsteps
break the silence as I slowly walk along the street with my little companion
happily strutting along beside me. Even the birds have become silent as they
nest among the trees. Only thing that seems to be stirring at all is the true
pioneer of the sky the sneaky hawk as he makes a wide circle high up and is
playing a “cat and mouse” game with a timid rabbit that is hiding in the
underbrush.
I stop to rest and
watched my neighbor’s elderly calico cat snoozing in a chair on the front porch.
I stood there for a while and listened to the sound of the tree music. There is
nothing quite like the music I hear as the breeze hits each note on the leaves
of the trees. Such a peaceful melody instills in me an appreciation for the
glory and wonder of God’s marvelous creation.
I think it is amazing how a tiny little seed grows just
where God wants it. We can plant them but only God can make them grow. And it
makes me think about growing things –and about faith.
When Jesus taught His disciples using the parable of the
sower, He used an object familiar to them –the seed. Everybody knew about
seeds. They planted them, watered them, cultivated them, and then waited for
them to grow. Jesus said that God’s word was a lot like the seed. It falls upon the soil of our hearts and
depending on the condition of that soil it takes root and grows. Sometimes the
soil is hard and unyielding. Other times the soil nurtures the seed for a
little while, then because the soil is shallow and full of weeds the sprouted
seed withers and dies. But then, Jesus talked about good soil. This soil
produces healthy and abundant plants.
I looked again at the beauty around me. My neighbors had
beautiful plants growing in pots on their porch, in flowerbeds around their
homes, and in window boxes. They have tenderly cared for them, watered them,
and put them where they would get just the right sunshine. Now, their little
seeds have produced a beautiful rainbow of love.
When we hear of the good seed of God’s word through good
preaching and our own Bible study, we each have a choice. Will it fall on a
hard heart- soil, sucked dry by the concerns of today and be cracked and dusty,
will it spring up quickly to wither and die away, or will it fall on good soil
and grow strong to bloom with faith.
Comments
Post a Comment