The Dogwood's Secret

(Spoiler alert: One word - rambly.)

It's no joke that my favorite season is spring. In my mind, spring has it all. Heavenly weather, clean, crisp air, the grass begins to get it's green on, and my personal favorite - the trees start to bloom. 

There really is nothing quite like taking a walk and getting snowed on by Dogwood petals, or to see a child squeal and giggle as she runs to the Magnolia tree to gather a few twigs of the breathy pink blossoms for "Mommy to put in a vase and keep forever." I'm quite partial to the Dogwood. Not so much for the scent, but for the white blossoms. White is such a symbolic color. It stands for purity, cleanliness, something fresh, something new. So many phrases run through my mind whenever I spot a tree in full powdery white glory.

"I am the Resurrection and the Life," rustles through the blossoms as I work in the garden. "He who overcomes will be dressed in white."

A few days ago, I was struggling with the weight of my sin. "Get a grip, you moron! You were born to 'fight the good fight of faith and lay hold of eternal life' and you cast off the sword . . . again." While I continued to beat myself up, I heard a soft, gentle voice.

Look out the window.

"But I don't see anything and . . . oh, my Lord."

There, just three houses down, was a Dogwood tree, its white blossoms basking in the sunlight.

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.

That was enough to calm the raging voice inside of me that said "Give up, you'll never work through this. It's no use fighting now." Any fears of having at long last wasted the last drop of grace that has been shown to me were dispelled at His voice.

The Dogwood bears within itself a secret of immeasurable worth. Now when I see it, I gasp not only for its pure beauty. It stands as a reminder of who my Savior is, and who I am and am becoming according to the power of His Spirit that works within me. There is a Savior who has redeemed me. There is hope of salvation. There is life.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.


Photo courtesy of Of All Loveliness

Move the Pot

Yesterday afternoon, I was doing some dishes left over from lunch and the water wasn't draining on one side of the sink. Granted, our sink isn't from the 21st century, but whenever you wash dishes the old fashioned way (i.e. without a dishwasher), it's somewhat crucial that the water drains through.

Stupid sink.

"It's probably just a clogged drain since the pot of soap is barely covering it up," I thought. Five minutes go by, and the water has receded approximately 1 centimeter. "Just lift the pot up and see what happens," Common Sense told me. Sure enough, the water drained through quickly.

And that got me thinking.

So often when we're facing problems in a relationship with a family member, friend, or co-worker, it's too easy to eenie-meenie-miny-moe on something other than the root issue. But Christianly, before we play the blame game, it's our job to evaluate ourselves before we bang the gavel on someone else.

"Judge not, that you be not judged.

For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged;

and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye,

but do not consider the plank in your own eye?

Or how can you say to your brother,

'Let me remove the speck from your eye';

and look, a plank is in your own eye?

Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye,

and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

~ Matthew 7:1-5 ~

Just like I thought the problem was with the drain (something I can't fix), likewise it's too easy for me to point the finger. "It's her fault!" But the reality is, the problem could be as simple as "lifting the pot," repenting of a sinful reaction in my life (something I can fix).

This isn't to negate situations where the other person is indeed at fault. But even then, it's easy to settle on the worst case scenario, coming up with reasons why he didn't return the phone call or why she is being distant for no seemingly legitimate reason.

In the conflicts we have with those around us, almost every time there's something we can change about our reaction in order to honor and love them the way Christ loved us.