One of my favorite basic principles about God’s love <3

Hi and happy Friday!

I didn’t write last week because I was busy enjoying a day off with Russ and waiting for our John to arrive home to celebrate his birthday on Saturday.

He wanted a “throw back” birthday for his 30th so we did a pickup softball game at the park and yes, he got to be a team captain.

We grilled out burgers and brats and had watermelon and basically nothing healthy besides that. He asked for the old favorite from by-gone years, the DQ ice cream log cake which we all had forgotten about and is as surprisingly delicious as ever. 

It was a great time and went too fast and now we are a week into looking back and we are still smiling Except for the part where we miss everyone. 

My thought today is nothing new or original but one God proves to me time and time again and it is this…you simply cannot out give God. 

We know it and yet every time some new encounter brings that truth to the forefront, I am once again in awe of how generous He is when I unpry my greedy little fingers off of earthly treasures and release them into His big unknown plans. Then before I can barely stuff them back into my pockets and turn to survey what I think has depleted my stock, He pours out blessings that exceed what I thought I gave up. 

On the north side of our house (I had to close my eyes and picture our house and then mentally walk around it and determine what each side faces to come up with that…and I went around the whole thing just to make sure I did it right. Twice) we have a patch of area that the builder of the home filled with ferns and hostas. The rabbits like to make their home in the ferns and dine on the big leaves of the hostas. Also because that patch gets direct sunlight for most of the day, these shade loving plants look pretty fried by mid to late June. 

I have longed to replace the whole area with sun loving, pollinator-attracting perfect for cutting a little vase or four of fresh flowers, perennial garden. Last year I pulled up a few ferns and planted two potentials and the rabbits muttered thank you as they licked their chops and hopped off after leveling both of them the first day. 

This year I pulled up a couple more ferns and planted 6 different plants and the rabbits got a bit of a start on them so we encased them in wire and they survived the initial attack. They are blooming and making me smile and I was well on my way to making the complete transition to this vision in my head. 

On Wednesday I got ambitious and dug up the entire fern population. As I looked at the stack on our wagon, it dawned on me that these were rather healthy root systems and maybe someone would like to have them. Plants are expensive and this would save someone a bunch of money. So I posted a “free to a good home” post and one of our friends responded quickly that he would take some or all. 

We put them in buckets to soak and I mildly thought – wow …. Those probably cost the original home owner a chunk of change. I thought a bit about the investment yet to be made to fill in with more flowers but was relieved I wasn’t just throwing them in the garbage. 

Our friend later posted that he had some cone flowers and would bring and leave me some in exchange. I figured he was going to go dig up some of his extras and stick in water and leave on our porch, but no. He owns a landscaping business and when I got home last night, Russ showed me two beautiful commercially potted cone flower plants ready to plant as soon as we get more protective wire purchased, of course…or a dog who hunts rabbits…or both. 

And this morning I looked at them again and thought…just the picture of God. 

We give up some kind of something that we have on hand…some time, some money, some love…and we think we have donated some wonderful thing and aren’t we good? And He turns right around and just pours out something even better. 

He is kind and He is generous. Full of grace and mercy. I think of the rich young ruler and how Jesus just asked Him to give up the ferns and the man couldn’t. And how when he walked away, thinking what he had was worth so much and not even knowing all that Jesus would have given him, it says….and Jesus watched him, and He loved him. 

He didn’t chase him down and he didn’t write him off. He loved him even when the man couldn’t release his earthly treasures for the untold riches of following Jesus. 

We are so blessed to become a blessing to others….and then He goes and blesses us back. How beautiful <3