Tracy S. Deitz, Writer

Photo credit: Gilbert H Wild and Son

The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' “No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.
Matthew 13:27-29

 

My husband walked in the front door ahead of me, all the while dropping black dirt on the carpet. Looking over his shoulder, he said sheepishly, "I just had to get those weeds out of the front."

I followed and picked up pieces of mulch, then went into the kitchen to throw away the sticks. As I dropped the refuse into the white plastic bag, I noticed inside sprawled below were tiny plants, ones which I’d nurtured and admired in their infancy for several weeks in a sunny spot by the front door.

"Honey, those ‘weeds’ you just pulled up are the baby perennial Gaillardia that have those huge, gorgeous yellow flowers in the summer!" I yelled.

Okay, I’m going to admit it: I was more than a little bit ticked off.

"Oops," my husband muttered, dropping his shoulders.

Not mollified, I said, "I can’t believe you pulled out my flowers."

"I’m an excellent weed puller," Dan stated with wry humor.

I reached into the garbage can, dusted off the black dirt, and gently rescued the plants. Fortunately, their root systems still were intact, with minimal damage to the leaves, so I picked them up and transported them back to the flower bed posthaste.

What looked like a weed to my husband was my prized perennial. I wondered how often I make the same mistake with people and let a rough exterior hide the beauty that can blossom with maturity and sunshine from God’s point of view.

"From now on, before I do any more pulling, I’m going to check more carefully," Dan said.

Me too, and I made sure to show Dan where I’d transplanted the babies.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:9

Have you ever wondered if you'll see a miracle? Do you plod through ordinary days, wondering why you don't notice anything remarkable?

You might want to shift your outlook. I saw three miracles today!

First, I stopped at the mall to get my wristwatch repaired. While the jeweler replaced the battery, I studied the inner parts of the grandfather clock on the nearby table where the man had been working. The intricate gears circled inside a compact box, much like how God calibrates planets to run in synchronized motion.

Second, I walked past a young mother pushing her infant in the stroller along the sidewalk. I peeked inside the carriage as the mother leaned over to coo. I saw the child's face light up with joy. How can a person within a few months of life coordinate 43 facial muscles to show happy recognition?

Third, my son called me in excitement to tell me about an unusual, showy red bird with ebony wings sitting on the rail outside his apartment window in Washington, D.C. My son found out that the bird was a scarlet tanager. This feathery intrepid traveler migrates several thousand miles in the spring and fall, flying back and forth to South America.

We might think we're smart to have global positioning systems in our cars, but birds chuckle at this notion.

How many miracles have we missed today because we weren't really looking?

Photo Credit: National Science Foundation

For more information about astronomy, visit the Rappahannock Astronomy Club

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Matthew 25:13

Death is stealthy, often sneaking up when we least expect the call. Consider recent events: tsunami in Japan; tornadoes in Arkansas; and an assassination in a Pakistani compound. Were any of those who died ready?

If our Maker tells us that our time on earth finishes today, are we prepared? Or have we left unfinished business, such as unforgiveness or unspoken blessings? Precious minutes rush by but we often waste them.

My family had a close call this week with my dad's surgery for an aneurysm in his abdomen. The night before the procedure, my parents prepared as though that might be their last evening together. The next day at 5:45 a.m. in the waiting room before Dad went in for the operation, we clustered around him on sofas in the hospital, searching for the right words to say.

Gazing into his eyes, we clung to every feature, treasuring each detail of his person...

Two hours later, the surgeon told us that Dad had done well with the successful placement of a stint. We gave a sigh of relief and thanked God for the safety of our loved one.

Later, Dad said, "I've always been surrounded by blessings. It's just that sometimes I've been better at recognizing them than at others."

"You've been given the gift of more time," I said to Dad. "It's up to you what you do with it."

This is a choice we all have. Consider today the many blessings surrounding you and be grateful. Hug those around you and leave them with words full of joy and grace. You never know if those loving comments might be your last gift.

(Woodland image courtesy of Freeimages.co.uk)