With a little hard work...

It was a LONG weekend.  It was a weekend of sweat, sweat and more sweat.  Yard work, and lots of it.  Brian had a work conference to attend last week and got home on Friday night and I'm sure would have welcomed a relaxing weekend enjoying being back with his family.  Instead, however, he was on a mission.  Our new house has what I consider the most beautiful little office a person could want.  It's detached from the house and is an amazing little retreat that Brian said was all mine.  There is so much amazing potential in this little place, but unfortunately it was surrounded by weeds that were obviously sucking down some serious steriods as well as loads and loads of poison oak and other debris.  Brian was determined to clear out this mess and make it an exension of the little office that already I've come to treasure.  He wanted the outside to match the inside.  You see, Brian wants me to have a place to go for solitude.  He knows how much I crave it, need it and long for it when it's missing.  He knows it feeds my soul.  He has wanted me to get back to writing for years now because he sees something in me.  He wanted to create an environment that contributes to exploring my creativity.   So, as a result of this he worked, and worked and would not stop.  The man believes in me.  I have never seen him so concentrated on a task and that's the truth.  The result?  I wish I took a picture of the front of my haven before so the after could be more appreciated.  It's amazing.  The trees are singing in their new freedom from the weeds.  I look out the window and I see a beautiful little garden freshly mulched with carefully trimmed bushes and soon there will be some pretty floral additions.  I'm honored that Brian put so much energy into this project to make a peaceful setting for me to gaze on as I sit in my office and write.  Thank you Brian. 

Thinking about all of this there is a clear spiritual message in this as well.  You know, I knew exactly why Brian was working so hard...he told me why, and I was by his side sweating with him and I could clearly see the goal in sight.  When God is working on us WE don't always see the goal in sight.  We feel the pruning and the weeding and the raking and it doesn't feel very good most of the time.  As a matter of fact much of the time it is downright painful to endure.  The thing is that God sees what we are capable of and sees that with a little work there will be an environment that has no bounds.  He works hard in us because he knows what is inside of us and he loves us too much to leave us be.  The hard part for us is that we don't see the picture that He does and to us sometimes it just feels like a bunch of pain for no reason whatsoever.  Let's be honest, living a life for God brings pain...he said there would be, so we shouldn't be surprised.  We have to remember that it's through the pain that we learn and grow and mature.  When God is done he looks at us and says, "Wow.  Look what I can do now". 

I don't know what God is doing in you.  I don't really know what God is doing in me, but I'm trying to be a canvas for Him and want nothing more than for my heart to be an environment that makes Him smile.