Well its been a beautiful sunny holiday day and the readings today struck me as the nectar/honey I need to hunt for and delight in:
Psalm 1:
Blessed is the one ...whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on it day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that she/he does, she prospers.
Can't say I feel like I have been prospering lately...so that word challenged me to reflect just how much I am drawing deeply from Scripture each day? It also got me musing more on those wonderful Tuis. The sweet honey/nectar is only found in tiny dribbles. They have to hunt diligently and persistently flower by flower to gather the nectar. It is sitting there waiting as a gift, but they have to take the trouble to stick their beak in and drink it bit by bit. They have to work to access it but the reward is great.
Similarly Scripture is an amazing flowering of Gods sweet love portioned out each day but often I fail to notice or take the time to stop and drink it in. Only with discipline and effort does a Tui reap the reward of a full fat tummy, and only by guarding its territory can it ensure enough nectar to be healthy. It seems to me I need to begin guarding the treasured Scripture flowers with their sweet gift of Gods truth and love freely offered to me each day. How quickly I become slack and take it all for granted! I am provided with every good thing I need, but I must make the effort to drink it in daily so I can grow and prosper. Quite a lot to learn from a Tui it seems.
“Untilled soil, however fertile it may be, will bear thistles and thorns; and so it is with man's mind.” Echoes this idea about managing my mind and imagination... tilling the soil ...which is my responsibility. I need to be careful about tilling the soil of my mind and making the effort to delight in the law of the Lord; or to dig down deep and ponder Scripture everyday. Only then will I be able to bear fruit in season and have growth and life that will not wither. Amazing how making the effort to listen allows the message to come through quite coherently. I need to ponder more on that also I think.
Teresa also said:
“If we plant a flower or a shrub and water it daily it will grow so tall that in time we shall need a spade and a hoe to uproot it. It is just so, I think, when we commit a fault, however small, each day, and do not cure ourselves of it.” Ouch. Lazy habits grow into big lazy habits lol. Seems its much better I deal with them sooner rather than later. Anyone got a rotary hoe for hire? She had such a great sense of humour and also deep faith and trust...a balance to which I can only aspire:
“It is true that we cannot be free from sin, but at least let our sins not be always the same.” She could have been narrating my story lol but then she encourages us with:
and also
Well thats my gathering of special nectar for today; the company of good people like Teresa who we can access because the church makes her available to us as a model to follow. The sweet nectar and wisdom of her thoughts captured alongside the readings for the day fed my soul today and the Tui in my garden helped me ground it all in my everyday and try to make it real. Also the company of good people in the wonderful friends and family who travel the road of life with me. Some of whom I saw today in the sunshine and simply enjoyed. Such a gift. I am deeply grateful for the blessing. Friends and companions on the journey are sweet nectar indeed to treasure each new day. Thanks Teresa and friends and thank you God.
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