Today I had the day off from work for a little self care/ yard work day. I was planning on taking a little trip up to Pennsylvania but it didn’t work out but I kept a day to get some things done. One of the main projects I was undertaking was digging up an old half dead bush in my front flower bed.
This evergreen bush has so many dead sections that it really had no appeal at all. I got out my shovels and a saw, then proceeded to start removing it. The roots were in so deep, even though I cut off the top section it still had much more that needed to be dug out. I know this is cliche and has been used too many times to count, but it just made me remember all the stuff that has been planted in my life that just needs removed. Good intentions thoughts and feelings that I allowed to grow and take root to where they choke out the good that the Lord might have had for me.
I finally got this bush removed and took a quick trip to lowes to get the supplies I needed to plant something new. I took the advice of my parents and chose Knock Out Roses. I got three rose bushes and some cedar mulch and also some fresh soil. I dug new holes and laid down new soil. I put landscape fabric over it to protect it from weeds sprouting up and then used the mulch to hold in moisture and protect a little more from the elements. Then I watered each of the bushes to allow them the sustenance they needed to take root.
This old bush had been there for years. There were left over roots still there that could potentially sprout up again. At the end of the day though something new has been planted. Something that can actually flourish and thrive. Something that if cared for could produce a fragrance and a beauty that will far surpass what the half dead bush ever could.
What “old bushes” have we been nurturing in our lives? What things have we been holding on to in hopes that one day they will take root again and perhaps bring something back to life? Is it not worth it to attempt something new? Thats kind of where I am at right now. After fighting for a bush that I had fought and nurtured for so long and seeing that it was always going to be half dead, it is time for me to plant something new. Something beautiful. Something that will take work, but in the end will knock out what came before it.
