Which choice?

June has been a rainy month here in Northwest Georgia and my daylilies and other flowers have flourished, filling my garden with color. But with the hot sultry days of July most of the daylilies have finished blooming. Left behind are the brown stalks where the plants once proudly displayed their glory.

The stalks are an eyesore, and each evening as I walk around the garden I give them a tug. The ones that are dead pull up easily, but others are not quite ready and stubbornly hang on.

My daisies, zinnias, and lantana are going full strength, but as I look out over my garden all I see are the brown stalks. They get in the way of my enjoyment of the flowers that are still there.

I have three choices: I can take my pruning shears and chop all the daylilies down, but I risk harming the plants for next year. Or I can just complain about how bad the flower garden looks. Option three is that I can be patient and wait for the stalks to be ready to die back, turning my attention to the flowers that continue to be beautiful.

I have the same choices when it comes to problems in my life. I can take matters into my own hands and vent my anger or make a drastic decision. Sometimes that is the best way to go, but it can also damage relationships.

Or I can focus on the issue and just complain about it. This choice makes both me and those around me miserable and normally doesn’t help with the problem.

The better option is to turn my concerns over to God, choosing to recognize the beauty around me and to be grateful for the things that bring me joy and peace. I find that when I take this path, I keep my serenity, even if the problem persists.

God has His timing, as I am reminded by these well-known verses from the book of Ecclesiastes:

To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

 a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-5. KJV)

I need to cover my decisions in prayer and if the time for ‘plucking’ is not right, then I need to learn to wait. Over and over I see God’s hand working when I have waited instead of forging ahead on my own steam. God will work out His plans when the time is right.

            What season are you in right now? You may be in a fruitful time of planting and growth or a waiting time of rest and dependence on God. As I look out over my mid-summer garden I’m reminded that all the seasons are part of life. Each has its joys and its challenges. Let’s focus on the blessings of today.