Category: gardening

They’re NOT cute!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Chipmunk Collage

In the fall, you walk our front pathway at your peril. We have the most aggressive acorns you’ve ever seen, or felt. Honestly. The dents they render to a car’s hood or roof are nothing compared to the bumps they produce on your noggin.

Then in the spring, I tackle the unhappy chore of removing of hundreds of tiny oak trees sprouting in my garden. So this week, I decided to pre-empt those suckers and rid the garden of them before taking root. Not as easy as I thought. Like giant pistachios, they had already split and many a root sprouted, burrowed firmly in the soil.

Most were on the surface, fairly easy to dig up, but here and there I uncovered small clusters under the branches of low bushes, concealed among the stalks.

Then I found it – the Mother Lode, the Cave of Wonders, the Pirate’s Booty. No way was this pile the result of falling acorns. This secret stash flowed from a drain, as if stockpiled in some clandestine plot. This was the resident chipmunks’ winter preparations washed out from recent heavy rains.

The outward appearances of these adorable little furballs belie their true identity – hideously destructive varmints. They burrow holes in the soil, loosen the supporting rocks, and hoard potentially damaging future oak trees.

I don’t usually see any chipmunks as I’m  working. No, they save their activities for when no one is around to witness their detrimental deeds. But the evidence of their handiwork is apparent.

Of course this got me thinking….

These acorns are like the barbed comments that people fling our way. And they hurt, not a bruise on the head, but on the heart. Zingers that find our soft spot, and embed themselves. If we let them take root, they will grow and fester and bear bitter resentful fruit. The longer the root remains, the stronger it gets and the harder it is to remove. It is easy to narrow our eyes at the perpetrator, to retaliate, to judge. But Scripture tells us:

… make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. Deut. 29:18
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Heb. 12:15

After wasting useless minutes fuming at these critters, I realized –  they are just doing what chipmunks do.

All my anger isn’t going to make them more sensitive.

I can’t change them, but I can change my root structure:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Col. 2:6-7

Instead of hating the chipmunks, I have a choice.

And with those whose comments dent my soul, I have a choice.

I can let them fester, develop bitter roots, and ultimately poison me. Or I can respond as Jesus did. “Father, forgive them. Those chipmunks just don’t know what they’re doing.” Well, a loose paraphrase, but you get the idea.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established IN LOVE, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Eph. 3:16-19

 

 

Top Ten List: Garden Lessons Learned

Posted on by Susan Panzica


In my last post, I shared about a lesson learned one day last month when I spent the afternoon attacking a garden patch that had been sorely overlooked. The lush green foliage deceptively hid its true identity – a massive pack of weeds. Entering into the belly of beast, I had no idea the many lessons I was about to learn. Here’s my Top Ten in random order:

1. There is no “before” picture. Why? First of all, I wasn’t expecting a spiritual lesson. I was just planning to do a job that I hated, but had to be done. Yet God found me there. When we remain open to hearing His voice, we may hear from Him in unexpected places. 

2. There also is no “before” picture because I’m not too eager to share my mess with the world. I prefer for people to see a lovely facade instead of the true mess. Same goes with my personal flaws. When we display only our “best self,” we run the risk of being dishonest or pretentious.

3. An enormous vine entwined around several trees and bushes to the point that the vine’s leaves looked as if they were the trees’ leaves. Finding the tree inside the vine-web required persistent searching. So does separating truth from lies. In a world where the media spews stories based on innuendo rather than facts, it can be hard to get to the truth.  And in the spiritual realm, Satan is the author of lies masquerading as a tree instead of a life-sucking vine. (John8:44)

4. Separating the vine from the trees required relentless perseverance. But the more I removed, the easier it became to continue on.  Let small conquests along the journey pave the way for future victory.

5. Getting started is the hardest part. Instead of focusing on the hours I’d spend, ending up a weary dirt-covered mess, I focused on just putting my shoes on. Then getting the tools I’d need. Tiny step by tiny step, I moved forward until the job was done. The joke “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” never felt more relevant. (Phil. 3:14)

6. The project became so massive due to one of my best-honed “gifts” – procrastination! The more we delay in facing what needs to be done, the greater the problem becomes. Whether it’s a relationship issue, a job situation, or a physical project, the sooner we address it, the better. Delay only makes a bad thing worse. (Prov. 24:33)

7. As much as it depends on you, do it right the first time. The garden beds where my son generously mulched last year had way fewer weeds to deal with than other areas that were thinly mulched. Great job AJ! It’s worth the extra effort and expense to do a complete job considering it an investment in the future.

8. I gained momentum as I made progress in removing the overgrown vine that had shrouded everything in the patch. Seeing the sun begin to peek through the branches revealed a beautiful Japanese maple I didn’t even know was there -thanks to the benevolence of a neighbor’s giant Japanese maple sharing it’s seeds in the wind. The time and effort invested rendered a great reward, and I’m glad I stuck with it. Too often, I give up before the job is done and don’t know what I’ve missed because of that. (2 Cor. 8:11)

9. I’m a righty but at one point, with my right hand all tied up, I needed my left hand to do a job that it clearly wasn’t suited for. But despite its weakness, it did the job! Sometimes when we feel weak, facing a challenge helps us become strong. (James 1:2-4)

10. Sometimes a little support goes a long way. Wearing a knee brace and lower back support belt enabled me to work longer without getting weary. And going through hard times is much easier with the support and prayers of friends and/or family. (Heb. 10:25) How can you support someone today? 
 I went past the field of a sluggard,
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
 I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.
Prov. 24:30-34

How can you apply one of these truths to your life today?

Cutting away the good….

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Colorado had unquenchable fires then uncontrollable floods.

In New Jersey, the reverse.

The flood from last year’s record-breaking “super storm” “perfect storm” Sandy left the Jersey shore, particularly the Seaside areas, reeling.

Then this week, a destructive fire on the Seaside boardwalk, newly restored after the devastating flood, caused the loss of 68 businesses and close to $2 million in damage.
I’m no expert in firefighting, but news reports of both the Colorado and New Jersey fires reported a similar strategy. In Colorado, intentional boundary fires were set to control the path of the blaze and limit the destruction. 

In New Jersey, a section of the boardwalk was cut out creating a gap to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading:

In normal circumstances, setting a fire or cutting the boardwalk would be criminal. But in these situations, the experts knew it was necessary to destroy something good in order to prevent further widespread destruction.

Jesus had something to say about cutting away something good for the better. 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2


Did you catch that? Every branch that DOES bear fruit, He prunes. Why? So that it can be even more fruitful. 

Hanging in my office, I have what once was a lovely lush philodendren that is now stringy and sparse. My neglect allowed it to grow longer and longer. Had I trimmed it, it’d be much fuller. So recently I lopped off some perfectly good branches to stimulate new growth.  

In my garden, I have to cut away seemingly perfectly good branches because they become “suckers.” If left to grow, they will draw precious fruit or flower-bearing energy away from the rest of the plant. 

Now if the boardwalk planks could talk, I’m sure they’d be screaming when the firefighters took their axes to them. The Colorado boundary trees might argue that the fire is over there, don’t torch us! Or my plants would weep when I approached with my scissors. 

In life, sometimes we have to choose to eliminate some seemingly perfect activities or opportunities. And sometimes, God the Gardner removes them for us. Why? Because He loves us. Because He doesn’t neglect us. Because He knows what’s best for us. 

When such situations occur, we must remember that despite the pain of loss, it’s for our own protection or fruitfulness. We can trust the Master Gardener to prune at the right time, using the right tools, removing the right branches, for the right purpose. 

Have you been pruned? How can I pray for you, beloved? 

When must we NOT show mercy?

Posted on by Susan Panzica

When must we NOT show mercy?
This is the first, but surely not the last, you will read about my gardening experiences. I find so many illustrations about the Christian life when I am tending my garden. Maybe that’s why it all began in a garden.
The truth is: I have a love/hate relationship with my garden. Oh, how I love the blooms, the fragrance, the sheer beauty that shows its face each spring. Oh, how I hate the seemingly endless care that it requires. And to be honest, I’m not the most gifted gardener. But, I try.


Today, I was attacking an overgrown hydrangea with the pruning shears. Perhaps “attacking” is too strong a word, but I think the hydrangea would disagree. From the plant’s point of view, I seemed just vicious, showing no mercy. But in fact, I was saving its life. There were shoots of dead wood, and if left intact, they would have a negative impact on the rest of the plant, as well as the other plants in the garden, especially the peony next door.
At times, I feared I was too aggressive, but I’ve had this hydrangea a long time. We’ve been through this before, and from past experience, I know that this seemingly harsh treatment is very beneficial. My hydrangea rewards me every summer with a bounty of blooms because with the life-sucking shoots gone, its energy can be directed toward new life.
As Christians, we are instructed to show mercy. Jesus says “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt. 5:7). Mercy is the very hallmark of the Christian. But there are times when what appears to be mercy isn’t. 

When a friend or loved one is engaged in dangerous behavior, they need boundaries and consequences, not an enabler. When sin is crouching at our door, it needs a swift kick right out that door. When envy or bitterness or resentment start slithering under our skin, we need to uproot and destroy it. Just a few verses after Jesus teaches about mercy, He says, 

“If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matt. 5:39) 

Ouch, well, that doesn’t seem too merciful to the eye, does it? No, but sin is like gangrene. It may start small, but unless it is amputated and removed, it will spread causing death and destruction.
So the truly merciful thing to do is nip it in the bud, just like my hydrangea. 

When must we NOT show mercy?

Posted on by Susan Panzica
This is the first, but surely not the last, you will read about my gardening experiences. I find so many illustrations about the Christian life when I am tending my garden. Maybe that’s why it all began in a garden.

The truth is: I have a love/hate relationship with my garden. Oh, how I love the blooms, the fragrance, the sheer beauty that shows its face each spring. Oh, how I hate the seemingly endless care that it requires. And to be honest, I’m not the most gifted gardener. But, I try.

Today, I was attacking an overgrown hydrangea with the pruning shears. Perhaps “attacking” is too strong a word, but I think the hydrangea would disagree. From the plant’s point of view, I seemed just vicious, showing no mercy. But in fact, I was saving its life. There were shoots of dead wood, and if left intact, they would have a negative impact on the rest of the plant, as well as the other plants in the garden, especially the peony next door.

At times, I feared I was too aggressive, but I’ve had this hydrangea a long time. We’ve been through this before, and from past experience, I know that this seemingly harsh treatment is very beneficial. My hydrangea rewards me every summer with a bounty of blooms because with the life-sucking shoots gone, its energy can be directed toward new life.

As Christians, we are instructed to show mercy. Jesus says “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt. 5:7). Mercy is the very hallmark of the Christian. But there are times when what appears to be mercy isn’t. When a friend or loved one is engaged in dangerous behavior, they need boundaries and consequences, not an enabler. When sin is crouching at our door, it needs a swift kick right out that door. When envy or bitterness or resentment start slithering under our skin, we need to uproot and remove it. Just a few verses after Jesus teaches about mercy, He says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matt. 5:39) Oooh, well, that doesn’t seem too merciful to the eye, does it? No, but sin is like gangrene. It may start small, but unless it is amputated and removed, it will spread causing death and destruction.

So the truly merciful thing to do is nip it in the bud, just like my hydrangea.

Susan