A Time for Praise

Hello friends,

I'm sitting here, at my computer, with dirt all over my clothes and face. My hair is plastered to my head, and my face is a rosy red. No, not a sunburn. I stay covered up. I've been gardening since 7:30 in the morning, and now it's time to call it a day.

The sun is now high in the sky, and even shade gives little relief, but I WAS GARDENING!!!! That, my friends, is a miracle. After my relationship with God and my family, there is nothing else I love to do more than gardening. Because of my health, I have not been able to garden in five years! And even when my health was not at stake, I have never been able to garden after the 4th of July. Here it is July 19th, and here I am, covered with dirt. What a blessing it is to play in the dirt and watch the earthworms scurry away.

It's a funny thing about earthworms. They have no idea just how much I love them. I take great care to keep them safe, as I return them to do their job in the soil. But the earthworms are unaware of me. They only know that their lives have been interrupted.

This has gotten me thinking. How often is my life interrupted, and I have no idea why? I can't see the One who is lifting me from the soil and laying me gently in another, safer place. I wiggle and squirm, panic and moan, and I never look up to see His face. Like the earthworms, I have my panic attack, focusing only upon myself.

Now, I am more than an earthworm. Jesus said, that not a single sparrow falls to the ground, that our Heavenly Father does not know. (I know, I've just used double negatives.) Then Jesus tells us: "You (meaning you) are worth more than many sparrows." This is revolutionary! God knows who the sparrow (or the worm) is. He loves each sparrow, but he loves us more...MORE THAN MANY! He loves me. He loves ME!

So, now, that I find myself out in the garden at 7:30 in the morning...weeding, planting, planning, and saving all the worms...I cannot help but praise the One who made this all possible. I know there are those who would say: science, not God, made this possible. My answer, of course, is this: Who made the scientist? From where did the scientists receive their intellect, their need to explore the unseen world, their desire to reach out for a treatment for a certain disease?

I believe that God is the Author of my life. I know with a great certainty that I needed to be sick. I needed to take the time to reach a relationship with God. Oh, how lovely is the gift which comes to us unexpectedly, after much asking! And what about the gift that we receive after we have given up? It is difficult to not feel humbled, when God steps in and fills that gap in our lives with Himself. So, now I praise my Lord and my God.

Father, I stand in awe because of Your mercy and grace. I am humbled by Your love for me. Forgive me Lord for my tremulous faith. I know that You love me, and I can only praise You at the foot of the Cross.

With love,
Jaye Lewis
www.entertainingangels.org