2 boys + 2 shovels + 1 patch of dirt + 1 bucket = worms!It's funny, but in the two-plus years we've lived here, I have never seen a worm. It never even occured to me that the squirmy little creatures wriggle just below the surface of our sod. Out of sight, out of mind I guess.
Growing up just a hundred or so miles north of here, worms were commonplace. For some reason they'd pour onto the sidewalk after every rain. My nose still remembers the musty, pungent odor of squished squigglers.
But rain or no rain, I've never seen one of the creepy crawlers rise to ground level here. Funny how I just assumed that what I can't see isn't really there.
I think sometimes I assume/hope that the ickiness in my life works that same way. If it can't be seen on the surface, it must not really be there.
The truth is though, that for every stray misdeed that works its way to the surface, there's a tangled network hidden below. And unlike the pail full of earthworms that occupied my sons on a recent afternoon, what's buried under my surface would be more likely to disgust them (and little boys aren't easily disgusted! What's up with their appetite for snot-covered germ balls?).
For all their repulsiveness though, worms are useful. They aerate and fertilize the soil making the earth more suitable for growing plants.
I suppose there could be a parallel there too. Seeing the ugliness within reminds me of my need for the Master gardener to till the hardened soil of my heart so it can be used to cultivate His fruits.
Lord, please take the things that I try to keep hidden and bring them to my awareness. Use them to help me see the work You are doing in my life. Take what is ugly and seemingly harmful in my life and turn it around to create fertile soil ready to cultivate all the really good things You desire for me.
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4 comments:
I'm with you on the worm smell! We've had an onslaught of rain over the past 24 hours, and the worms are out in full force. They still repulse me, even as they did in the days of my youth... a boy at the bus stop put worms in my lunch box, and I've never quite recovered.
The older I've gotten, the more transparent I've become. I'm trying to root out the ugly, but frequently, I'm surprised by the spewing that comes forth in me.
Thankfully, I have learned to more readily bring it all to Jesus and ask him for some clarity and some help!
You are a fantastic writer and thinker, friend. I wish that more people would get over here and read. Maybe they are; if so, they should leave a comment to encourage you.
I love coming here. Have a fantastic week.
peace~elaine
So very true. Just because we can't see something, doesn't mean it isn't there. Thankfully, this also applies to the Spirit within us. Just because we don't see Him, and can be quite frustrated with the "worms and dirt" in our life, there is something great happening beneath the surface of our hearts when they belong to the Master Gardener. He is using those 'worms' to help us dig up and out the 'dirt' and making us into His likeness.
Thanking God for His work within me today. Although the digging hurts, He is tending the garden of my soul.
Surrendering to His search for 'worms',
Joy
Oh, I will look at "repulsive" (my stomach is queezy!!!) worms now differently. They are useful. And oh how I need my Gardener to make and keep my heart beautiful before Him! :)
Thank you!
I'll be checking out your "newness" and the give-away.
Sharon :)
Talking about that pungent smell made me laugh out loud - it SO grossed me out when I was younger! :o)
The "worms" under our service really can work for us, with the care and know-how of the right gardener. What a great analogy!
How are you enjoying your books?
Hugs,
Melinda
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