The Good Idea/Grooming

Good morning to all…..

These summer mornings are great. We take things a little slower than normal and the pace, I do believe, suits me just fine. How about you?

As I was out on a walk the other day I noticed how beautiful many of the homes around me are. How tall they stand, how clean they look, how pristine they are and how well manicured they are.

Actually some of them do not even look lived in. There is not a bush out of place, the mulch has not been stepped in, the flowers are hanging in baskets and everything looks in place.

So right away I go to….this home is beautiful but are they happy? Remember the days when we did it all on our own? (What am I talking about….we still do!) And life seemed real.

Dad was out grooming the lawn and bushes, Mom was going in and out…helping Dad and fixing lunch and the kids were running about having fun and getting in Dad’s way. Yes, those were the days.

Looking back on that scene verses today’s scene….I see more control over our lives back then. More personal interest in our surroundings. We took care of what we had…we planted those bushes, we planted those trees and we planted those flowers in the ground.

I remember when we moved to where we live now I “attempted” to plant flowers in my front flower bed. I dug and dug but to no avail. Why…..because the front was beautifully landscaped with more shrubs then I have ever seen and under that was a barrier to choke out any weeds. I could not tear it up to plant flowers.

I asked George, “How am I supposed to do this?” “Where do the flowers go?” “I want color in my landscaping.” Guess what….I hang the flowers!

Sometimes we get so cookie-cutter like and our appearance can be so pristine that I have to question – is there life in there?

I want to see the lawn being watered by the sprinkler that goes back and forth…the one we used to run through when we were kids. (And trip over!)

The outside is so beautiful to look at….even in ourselves…..but what lies on the inside? Is it just as beautiful or is it untouchable? I pray for the beauty to shine from the inside out. We are a reflection of His love….someone else should not always be grooming you according to their design. What about the design He has placed in you?

Physical appearance – important – yes but it is so important to take control and weed for yourself. Only by doing this will you see where the trouble spots lie. Enjoy the difference that you will be making. Nancy

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