He Can Grow Grass

We are in a drought… 5-6 years. The Peace Country certainly could use water. The Peace Country is defined as Northern BC and Northern Alberta. Dugouts have not filled up nicely for a few years. The lack of good crops particularly hay for cattle and horses has caused distress for many farmers.

I was with one farmer this week when a lady asked him if he would have any hay bales for sale this year. He shook his head and said, “I don’t know of anyone who would have some. I would usually in a good year bale 1,000 acres but this year I’ll probably get to bale 100 acres if I’m lucky and off that I might get 50 bales to feed my own cattle this winter.”

How would you rate yourself for believing in miracles? Do you believe in miracles? For yourself: how about your loved ones?

If we all wrote down what we need a miracle for, we would all have at least one item on the list, probably more.

I have lived here for 4 years now. The back and side areas around my home are dirt. Good old fashioned clay. When it rains it’s gumbo and sinky stuff when it’s hot it’s harder than anything and you could not get a shovel into it if you needed to. Nasty stuff.

I’ve longed for grass. One area last year Brian got some top soil and threw some grass seed down. I started to get some grass this spring in that area. Then we rented an excavator and it got modified and the bits of starting grass were gone.

A couple months ago I put out grass seed on top of the clay. I was willing to try. I had no energy to haul in top soil. I had very little expectations because how could even a grass seed burrow into that hard earth? I had a lady tell me her shovel had literally folded when she was trying to dig. I got out the sprinkler, I went to town to haul extra water in for sprinkling and for 2 weeks I spoiled that grass seed, I watered day and night.

Nothing happened.

Then we had that 4 days of off and on rain a couple weeks back. Lo and behold the fires went down and those seeds started to sprout. They are growing on and in that clay. We have really not had rain or even dew since then but there is little grass shoots popping up.

You have heard my story, that I received a miracle so why then is it hard for me to trust God with “everything?” Like growing grass.

I can get myself all worked up and in a knot about almost anything. Why?

“Faith is the courage to let God be in control.”

This would mean I need to trust that He can grow grass. Not just any grass but grass on clay! Impossible says my mind.

Giving up control is not one of a human being’s best features, it certainly is not mine. I fight it at every turn. We may do it consciously or unconsciously but we fight giving up our control! As if we actually are in control of anything, but we hold on to the illusion of it for dear life.

My sons tell me that my “grass” isn’t lovely, it’s not thick and green, there’s too many rocks and bumps. I should harrow the ground, work the soil…start over.

I can’t! These little blades of grass growing when there is no water, growing on the tenacious clay soil, they give me hope.

Me above all people, me with the cancer free miracle should be able to believe that God can grow grass. After 4 barren years of no water and hard clay I wasn’t so sure.

I was staring at it today, my little grass blades. There are patchy spots, groupings of spots, weeds have started to pop up. But weeds can grow anywhere!

Looking at my grass gives me hope.

Are you feeling dry? Hardened? Has it been too hard lately? Your body and soul long for some refreshment and relaxation. You would bloom where you are planted if you had the energy and the right soil.

My grass reminds me of Gods Word. You plant a Word from God into another person, be it a Bible passage, or a song and maybe you have no idea if anyone listened. But a seed was planted into perhaps hard and infertile ground. God is the One who makes the seed grow. Not you! You do not even have to be in charge of watering.

My grass is growing in spite of the lack of rain. Your job, like mine was to scatter some seed.

The seed may grow and give you 100 fold return or it may grow in clumps, tight knit little sections. But it’s growing, a little seed is growing fighting for life. I can’t snuff that out.

People like grass are fragile in the beginning. Tread gently, do not bulldoze them with information. They will continue to grow until you get a patch of growing seeds that proves life can grow anywhere, the miracle Gardener is at work.