All things Considered...

Those of us with a few wrinkles and gray hair will remember this phrase, from our parents and maybe from Prairie Public Radio. It's not a phrase that gets used much anymore and certainly not by the next generations. It came to me last night as I was weeding.

Yesterday I decided to look for more plants to fill the bible garden. I received a wonderful donation last fall for the bible garden which I used to purchase a small garden ornament, a plaque with the requested inscription, and some daffodil bulbs but the garden still has some empty spots. I quickly printed off the internet a listing of plants from the bible and last night while weeding I went over the list. Mustard (Matt. 13:31-32; Mark 4:31-32; Luke 13:18-19), Grass (1 Kings 18:5; Job 4015; Ps. 104:14), Thistle, also mentioned but no reference given, and ash Isa 44:14. As I looked at the 'weeds' in the bible garden, I realized all of these were pieces that were already growing in the garden and that my spade was ready to pull out. I wondered how many times in life do we cull those things that have value without realizing it? How many times do we overlook the things we see everyday in favor of something new or splahy? Like the crow, are we always looking for the shiny piece of silver to feather our nest only to forget the practical? All things considered, I left the 'weeds' in the bible garden for now. I'm sure I'll fill in with more 'slash' later, but for now the ash seedlings, the mustard, thistle and grass are safe.