Whoever thought a tea party with wicker chairs would just magically appear in a lavender garden knows nothing about sweating and pulling weeds. I have chairs and benches and tables spaced about in my garden; they look so inviting and relaxing; it is an illusion. I do take water breaks; I sit briefly to catch my breath and wipe the sweat of my brow on my earth-coated shirt; but to sit and sip tea or lemonade in tea party attire is something I’ve not experienced in thirty years of gardening.
Sweat is God’s gift that enables the body to cool itself through evaporation. It is the “lubricant of success,” says a wise friend of mine. I look at the lush green vitality surrounding me and must agree.
God, I’ve sweated through so many situations in my life; that liquid rush has sometimes had the effect of calming me and cooling down my reactions; other times it fails and I fail. But the process is there; hard work, effort, picking up the pieces, starting all over again, You use, Dear Lord, to help me succeed despite my own misguided attempts to handle things that weren’t mine to handle.
Dear Lord, help me to know what is mine; help me to sweat out the waste so that I may rest, relax, and wait for the refreshment only Your garden bench can promise.
