It seems hard to imagine already but our spring was actually pretty darn dry, at least from a truncated historical perspective. April usually brings some light showers and May normally dumps a bunch of heavy downpours during thunderstorms. It’s typically our wettest month of the year in terms of measurable precipitation.
Not so this year; remarkably little rain. Until we got to June and July… Boy Howdy, what a change those months brought! I’d reckon we had mighty close to record rainfalls in both of those months. That rainy spell has continued even into August.
Back during the dry part, we had a big pile of “compost” in the southwest corner of our tiny paddock. After one of the very few rains we had in May, a few weeds sprouted on top of the pile. They quickly grew up over two feet high.
About that time, I used the tractor and its front loader to move the pile into the composting bin we dug into the ground up closer to the little barn. When I dumped one of the loads, a couple of those weeds tumbled out of the bucket on top of the pile.
As they fell, the loose “soil” clumped around their roots fell away. I was amazed at how big the root wads were on those weeds! A mass of tiny white shoots clustered at the base of the weed stalk, spreading out close to a fifteen-inch diameter!
As I thought about it, it made sense. Perched on top of the “compost” pile in a dry season, there was very little moisture available. And so, the plant had grown what looked like a steroid-fueled root system, sending out hundreds of little water-and-nutrient retrievers. Thanks to that adaptation, the weeds had flourished, even in that dry spell.
I guess we all go through “dry spells,” don’t we? Times when friends seem too busy to bother, when even family members get preoccupied with their own crises or maybe just smothered by the humdrum? Those who are able to thrive, even in the dry times, have learned to “grow their roots.” Rather than relying on just one or two sources, they create multiple avenues and opportunities for the things that sustain them. Additional activities that they find rewarding, making time for themselves and deliberately finding the solitude—or company—that renews them.
Some people take walks, others read scripture. Some do both. Some pray on those walks; others soak in the refreshing grace of the created world. Some do both.
Even though we might sometimes feel like a lonely weed surrounded by horse poop, our Maker always offers all that we need. By His Spirit, through His Word, in His Son—and by other ministering spirits and servants. He is at work in all things for our good.
Let us never forget: our God can take the “crap of our lives” and turn it into humus. But it does take time. And grace. And a willingness to embrace whatever God allows into our lives.
Roses and tomatoes, lilies and potatoes, grow more beautiful and more fruitful when instead of rejecting what seems unpleasant, use it to make themselves more productive. To thrive in acceptance rather than wallow in resentment.
Reflections by Doc Arnett 