dar334

“Rain makes corn, corn makes biscuits…..” echoes through the house from a wee little three year old.  Even though you can’t see her, you know she’s bopping to the music in her sweet little head as she snaps the blocks together in play.  And then you chuckle, because little does she know that in the song, corn actually made whiskey, not biscuits.  Innocence at it’s finest.  If only we could all be that innocent ………. for eternity.

I started some seeds in my Quiet Room Saturday morning, and yesterday was blessed with little sprouts coming from the soil.  The marigolds were the first to appear.   Preparation for the beauty of autumn.  Preparation.  Defined as something done to get ready for an event or undertaking.

Marigolds are at their finest after all the other flowers in my beds are done and you can smell the scent of autumn in the air.  It’s when preparations are being made for the long cold winter as the farmer is harvesting his crops and the squirrels are gathering their nuts.  God takes care of us.  He provides.  It is up to us to glean what we will need.

In preparing for the harvest, I’ve been in several studies of the Instruction Book.  I learned early on that God will cause ears to not hear and eyes to not see.  He will harden hearts.  In his time, he will allow the ears to hear and the eyes to see, and even the mind to understand.  In doing so he is preparing us for the harvest.  Preparation at it’s finest.

My mind was trying to understand something the other day and it caused my mouth to interrupt.  I’ve always had trouble keeping my mind focused and my mouth shut.  I’d like to think I’m improving in both areas, but sadly the old me pops out from time to time.  When that happened recently, I was verbally disciplined for it.  Thank goodness I was rendered speechless, mostly out of shock, because had shock not been my first response I don’t know what would have came in it’s place.  I hadn’t realized that my mind’s wandering and my mouth’s interruption had come at an inappropriate time.  The sad part is it won’t be the last time this happens.

As soon as my feet hit the floor of my Quiet Room this morning I was at the little greenhouse looking for more sprouts.  It brings me joy when I see that little seed I planted springing up to a new life, destined to bring even more seeds through it’s death and more life through their death.  And the cycle continues.

I sat down to begin my lesson in 1 Samuel involving the killing of Goliath.  After David had killed and removed the head of Goliath, he was taken to King Saul, head in hand, and the chapter ended with King Saul finding out that David was the son of Jesse of Bethlehem.  (As I was typing this, I had to stop and find the scripture from the Old Testament that tells us the Messiah would come from the town of Bethlehem.  It was Micah 5:2 that tells us:  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah.  Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.)  And this my friends, is a prime example of my minds’ wanderings ……. 

Next up was my required reading in the Easter Earthquake book.  Today I read from John, chapter 12.  This study guides us through the Lenten Season and today I read about Jesus explaining to his disciples why he must die.  When I read verse 23 and 24 I stopped ….. read them again ……. and was able to glean even more than I had before.

Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone.  But its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

As my mind wandered back to the little marigold seed that died and then was planted in the soil, that has now sprung to life only to produce more little seeds to be planted ……. it also wandered to the many times its wandering has caused my mouth to interrupt, but this time there was no one to interrupt.  I was alone.  In silence.  It then wandered to Jesus dying on the cross and planted in the tomb only to sprout to new life, which would produce more believers, for the eventual harvest.  For eternity.

I planted another seed at work this morning, and now have found myself alone, in silence, and as I’m finishing this ponder up, I’m shaking my head because I started this ponder with corn.  The song about corn sprung from the word “kernel” in the scripture reading from the book of John.  Now as I’m typing, and proofreading, deleting and adding, my mind is wandering.  I have come to the realization that “kernel” in the scripture referred to wheat, not corn.  (In my defense, I grew up with a gardener, not a farmer.  So the kernels I am use to come from the cob.  My Mom never planted wheat.)

In closing, I sincerely apologize for any anger I may have caused when my mind’s wandering and my mouth’s interruptions directly affected you in a negative way.  It’s one of several things I need to work on, and coming from the seed of a talker, it will be a hard thing to break.  You can’t get corn from a kernel of wheat either, although I kinda sorta just did.

Always pondering,

-dar