Ripping It Up

Spring is officially here! Just outside my bay window I can see rose buds starting to open as the chrysanthemums start their bloom as well. Our flowers will likely reveal their full glory throughout the next few days. However, they will never make it to see their birth. Today, much to Ashlynn's disappointment, I will be ripping the flowers out of the ground.

As pretty as these particular flower bushes may be, the garden is on life support. It needs a lot of work! The flowers are surrounded by a cocktail of old mulch, mud and weeds. The only redeeming value is the few colorful pedals that are now starting to bloom. That's what Ashlynn wants to hold on to. She doesn't understand that the good must go in order for it to be great.

How many times in life do we do the same thing? We have something good going, but there's something greater out there! Sadly, we'd hold on to those good buds and pretend it makes the entire garden look pretty. Maybe it's a youth ministry that is good, but could be great with a re-haul. Or maybe its a marriage that is good, but could be precious with a little more care.

Today we rip up a rose bush, so we can have a garden.