Today, we worked on clearing a vacant lot in preparation of an outreach that we'll be having tomorrow. At the beginning of the day, it had been freshly mowed: a good way of showing the garbage filled terrain beneath the foliage. Traditionally, the park is considered a choice place to make deals on pot and other sketchy substances. You can imagine the surrounding neighborhood and its state.
There were weeds coming up out of the sidewalk, from among the glass shards and cigarette lighters, and just about any place where dirt existed. Several team members and I got to take a whack at them (literally).
However, among the thistles and other leafy intruders, we would find treasure. One of my friends talked about finding this kind of treasure as "mistaking it for another piece of glass or other garbage, but finding something beautiful". Others might laugh at us for considering small white flowers as treasure. But if only you could see it! Strong resilient blossoms would poke out from out of the lawn like stars resting among a sky of green: a pleasant treat from seeing a wasteland of thorns.
It reminded me of several things.
For example: how on earth could these blossoms find their way to root in the most littered soil I had ever seen? That made me think of the parable of the sower and the seeds. It wasn't one or two seeds that were thrown at the soil in the hopes of producing fruit: it was handfuls and handfuls of seeds. God has given us countless opportunities to demonstrate His love to others around us.
Also, those blossoms were appreciated a lot more given the circumstances. Would we have enjoyed them as much if we had seen them coming from work or school? This joy times tenfold would be a good way of describing the lot after we were done working with it and the expression on the locals' faces as they passed by.
Please pray for us tomorrow as we are given the blessing of time and more places to spread seeds.
Love,
Kaily
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