It’s Getting Dry
Every summer we face the same thing. It gets really dry. For some reason it was raining every week for a while, which is very unusual. That helped a lot with the lawn, the garden and the flower beds… and the dust. But now, all of that is over and the weather we understand all too much is back. It is dry and it only promises to get worse.
I went out to the garden and picked everything Monday. The tomatoes were not as plentiful, but were ok. The squash were a little less, but still ok. Now, when it came time to pick the peas, that’s where it showed up. The peas were ready for picking alright, but some of them were already trying to dry up since they were picked two days before. Hmmm… As I was picking them I noticed that they felt a bit leathery. It was then and there I knew that there would be trouble. I’ve shelled enough peas to know the difference between those which have had enough water and those that did not.
After I cooled off a bit, I started shelling peas. The lady cream peas were first and I got them out of the way. Now understand, I am a power sheller. I can get those babies out of hull and ready to go quickly, but not this time. When I got to those purple hulls, they were tough to shell. It was very difficult to shell them fast and so I shelled peas all afternoon while the western channel entertained me.
By the way, when I got through shelling peas, I went to the control box and set the sprinklers to water the garden three days a week for as long as necessary.
As I sat there shelling, I thought about some things. Now, the drier the peas, the harder they are to get into. Hmmm… I thought about how I get throughout the year. I preach and teach and try to always have fresh, wholesome material that keeps the attention of those who choose to listen and provides some instruction to make the understanding of things a little stronger. But, as the year wears on, I find myself getting drier inside. And, do you know what? Just like the peas, the drier they are the harder it is to get inside of them. And with me, the drier I get inside, the harder it is to get something good out of me.
That’s why it is so refreshing and important for me to get away every year, away from all the responsibilities of daily work, and pour myself into study. Then, I can come back home and “turn on the sprinklers” for those who would listen. That’s why it is so very important when I ask you to pray that God would open my heart and my eyes.
So, we can take care of lawns, garden and flowers by giving them a little water from time to time. And, we can pause from time to time to refresh ourselves by drinking deeply from the Word of God and letting Him soften us so that the layers can be peeled back and something good can come out of us.
Go out somewhere and pick a dry garden. It might just help you. It did me!