Gardening

Yesterday I worked outside in the yard. I turned over our veggie gardens, mixed the compost, cleaned up flower beds, and emptied the fish pond. It felt so good to be out there doing stuff! Oh, before I forget, I also worked on digging out the roots of the lilac tree that has been making a mess of our lawn and one flower garden. Got just a tiny bit done and then I ran out of energy to do that. Digging in clay soil is hard! I am pleased though that I got most of the roots out of the flower garden, getting the rest out is going to be a huge chore though.

Anyways, I got to thinking today about how hard it is to keep things nice - in the yard, the gardens, the home and so forth. Got to thinking about how sin invades every part of our lives.

Genesis three says:

17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are and to dust you will return."

Because of sin, God made the ground work against man-kind. The ground became cursed. We read later in scripture that the earth groans for the return of God to earth. It's like everything is waiting for God to make it all right again. Sometimes I long for that too. And yes, I know, I should long for it all the time. There is a part of me though that says...God...wait just a while longer...I have a son I want to watch grow, a husband that I love to watch learn new things, a dog that I want to see finish an agility title and... (the list could just go on).

But after my hard work of yesterday, and knowing that the ground is cursed because of my sin, because of the sin of all mankind....and how it groans for the Lord's return. It makes me think I'm just a tad bit selfish to want all my things, when the Lord's return will make all things right again. No more groaning, no more hard work, just good relationship with God again. My...won't that be a wondrous thing? :)