The world is watching
Published Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at 3:39 p.m.
By Jan Penton Miller
columnist
The heat was unbearable, and rivulets of sweat ran down my face as I frantically swung the scissors. Eddie had written in that month's gardening guide that roses should be pruned again in the fall when they flowered, so I braved the heat and pruned.
I thought he also mentioned cutting some long stemmed zinnias and vincas for another show, but I wasn't sure. I was already hot and sweaty so I pruned a few zinnias that weren't looking very good.
The roses have grown so tall that I actually wear big gardening gloves to protect my hands and arms from the thorns, and usually I only take on a thorn or two for my team, the gardening team.
After watching a video or two and freshening my knowledge on the difference between deadheading and pruning, I decided to do a light pruning since it was hot. I don't want to shock the plants, but it's a bit more work than deadheading.
For those who don't know, deadheading is pretty much the same as removing the dead flowers before they go to seed. This will encourage more flowers, but it will also mean that the plant will need more pruning if it gets too long or has too long stems and starts to look unattractive.
Hmm.
Whenever I see a garden, I think of the Master Gardener, not just the group of plant lovers who go by that name, but the man who created it all in the first place.
The constancy of nature and the changing of the seasons reminds us of the great plan and order in the universe. The colorful and infinite variety of plants remind us of God's creativity and great love for all of us for giving such simple beauty to the world.
As I cut off dead plants and reshape them into a more beautiful shape, I think of how God, in his wisdom and love for his children, removes things from our lives that cause us to stumble. God's pruning is always for the sake of making us more beautiful.
Of course, none of us want to be forced to change when we’re comfortable in our lives, but God wants us to show off to the world and blossom.
I've always been a fan of DC Talk and the song “What If I Stumble” comes to mind. There's so much going on in this song. The intro talks about how the world is calling for Christians to live differently – men and women, young and old, calling for the church to survive and teaching lost people that Jesus is real.
It reminds us that we all stumble but that God knew how bad we were when he died for us.
That is why Jesus did it, and we need Him to guide us when we are not quite sure where to go, what path to take.
The world is watching.
