Surprised by Joy!

The early morning sun is usually warm on my back while I search though the leaves and vines. It’s a contented feeling to harvest what we had hoped and waited for. Our garden seems to be overflowing at the moment. The tomatoes have synchronized turning from green to red, zucchini are abundant, and beans…oh the beans! They seem to grow overnight, and just  when I think they may be ending, along comes another round. They’re fresh, healthy and we’re grateful for the provision!

With the exception of tomatoes, (whose bright red beauty always catches my eye)I have to search for garden goodness. The beans tend to blend into the greenery, and their vines have created a little nook. Every day with basket in hand I lift up the vines, peering underneath to see what I can find. It’s quiet. Just the humming of the bees, and the birds that like to sit on the fence and watch me while I harvest. The zucchini rest underneath large leaves and I pull them back to find out who is ready to be picked, and who needs to sit awhile longer. And it’s worth the work, the time, the  searching.

The other morning, while the bees steady hum was keeping time with my picking, I realized that it’s not so different, this garden time and my walk with God. He says,

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord,…” (Jer.29:13-14)

I find it best to quiet my heart, when I’m seeking Him… you too? Sometimes, it’s difficult to recognize Him in the tangle of life and the distraction of the everyday. Even the good and beautiful distraction of little ones, family and all we’re called to be for them.

I love the promise that He is always there, ready to be found, to speak. His word, His life is continually fresh and nourishing. His love is never-ending, over-flowing and abundant! Unlike my bean crop, it will never fail. He wants to be found by us. He longs for us to know Him, always and in everything. And it’s more than worth the work, the time, the  searching.

And sometimes, we find things we didn’t expect. Like a pumpkin, on a vine we thought would never produce…

Surprised by Joy!

And isn’t it amazing how Grace can come in so many forms? And God is good, strong and trustworthy- always!

“In Him our hearts find joy. In His holy name we trust.”Psalm 33:21gwt

I hope your day overflows with an abundance of His life, Grace, and Love,

and you find yourself…surprised by Joy!

Blessings!