Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Vines (11/21/05)
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TITLE: This Old House | Previous Challenge Entry
By Nancy Leaf
11/21/05 -
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They are hanging everywhere. Why someone hasn’t taken care of this is more than I understand. Oh never mind! I can take care of this; it will just take a lot of time I hadn't planned on. Now what will this do to my schedule? I wanted to spend real time in the house, not the yard.
When I first looked at this old house it had a gorgeously planned and pruned yard on this side of the house, but look how these vines have taken over. What are they anyway? First thing in the morning I will get started, as soon as they are gone I can rest from this for a while. What a big disappointment.
I went out early in the morning to get all those ugly vines off the walls, the trellises and even up the side of the house. What a mess! As I pulled, cut, hacked and tore I could feel the muscles in my back and shoulders begin to whine about all the extra work they were being called upon to do. Maybe I will just do a little each day until I feel stronger in those areas that need conditioning. This is going to be a big job and I can’t possibly do it in even in one week. So each day it is, little by little until it’s done.
That is so like what we learned in our class about how God works in our lives, little by little in the areas where we lack conditioning. The teacher said it takes twenty-one days to form a new habit. If you miss one day the old will begin to creep back in. I sure hope that vine isn’t that way. Now what else did that teacher say? Oh yes, read Gods word daily and meditate on it. I don’t know about that word meditate. I always thought of it as thinking deeply about what God says in the bible so that’s what I’m going to practice. Thinking deeply about what I read each day.
One week and there is a noticeable difference in this vine, it has sure taken some turns and twists. I can see that it does have a root base so that must mean there is a definite plant coming up from somewhere in this yard. Hopefully I will soon get to the end of it and then in the spring I will be able to enjoy its blooms. It better have blooms after all this cutting, pruning and tossing!
This past week has proven very interesting in my daily bible readings as well. I have learned how my life has many turns and twists in it just like that vine. Reading on a daily basis has really helped me a lot in the area of learning what I need to prune from my own life and toss away. Those habits I need to get away from seem to be getting weaker each day too. Like that vine habits in a life can sure take over and cover any beauty that should be seen. There really is something to what the teacher said about forming new habits. At least it's working in my life and the areas that need conditioning seem to be coming out into the open more and more as I meditate on what I read each day.
These past months have simply flown by. It's so wonderful to look out into my side yard now and see the flowing branches of green that spring has brought on. That vine with all its new growth is getting buds on it now soon the blooms will appear. My life has newness inside too that I never had before. Even people around me mention how different I seem.
Thank God for His faithfulness and mercy. He has brought such joy unspeakable into my life and everything I do now seems so much more vivid than ever before. I know He couldn’t have done that if I had not submitted to His teaching and studied daily in His word, the bible. As I held onto the teaching of forming habits, I began to be changed inside and that’s how God changes us; inside out. He is the base root that we need to be planted in; Jesus His Son is the Vine we need to be clinging to for our daily strength. This old house has seen much change in it.
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