Christian Living

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This is a really powerful statement from God’s Word: “So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures. Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.” I believe God made you and me special. I’m sure there are so many times that you may let the “garbage” of your life dictate who you think you are. This is a falsehood and not at all true.

I was always a rather fragile child, even into my early adult years. I had a severe case of anemia, which caused me to be very weak most of my life. My life was rather quiet because I was just too weak. The sad thing was that my parents would say I was too weak, and I believed them. After all they were my parents and they loved me, right? It was time to think about my education and career. I wanted to go to college and be in the medical field. I knew I had a heart for the hurting since I was eight when I helped my grandfather after his heart attack. But no, I was too weak to handle the strain of college. Then I thought I would study to be an executive in the health field; again the answer was no. “Why don’t you just be a secretary?” my parents would say. Don’t get me wrong, I was a good one, but why wouldn’t anyone believe that I could handle it? This created resentment, regret, and depression that plagued my every thought and action. How could I ever be a strong woman for God? How could I ever be anything but the wimp I had grown up to be? I was rarely taken seriously in decisions. I was too weak. I struggled trying to climb a mountain with church friends and had to stop. I was too weak. What good was I to my family and my God? I was too weak. I was angry at myself, my family, and yes, even God. Why did I have to be made this way? Why couldn’t I be like everyone else?

God looked down and saw who Karen really was. He took that hurt, anger, and disappointment away, and gave me a fresh start. I am His garden and I will continue to bloom and grow the way He wants me to. I am the garden and He is the gardener. He knows what is best for me and I love Him with my whole heart. Thank you, God, for saving me from my garbage! You see, the garbage doesn’t have to be something huge; it can be that emotional hurt that cuts you off from the one who truly loves you…God! With God, you can bloom where you are planted. He is the one that will pick the garden you will thrive in.

PASSAGE: James 1:16-21 (The Message)

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