Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
…..Let the whole world know what he has done.
Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
…..Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Psalm 105:1-2 NLT

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Crocuses have already had their show, and the daffodils in our area, as well as the grape hyacinths in our flowerbeds, are on full display. And the most exciting part of spring’s arrival (which I actually caught a whiff of a couple of weeks ago…the smell of emerging earthworms!
I also remember my time at Mount Vernon Nazarene College—oh so long ago—and after a rain, it never failed that worms with their pungent odor would be all over the parking lots and sidewalks.
I did a little research to learn a bit more about earthworms. On planetnatural.com, in an article entitled, How Do Earthworms Survive Winter? I learned quite a bit. As every seasoned gardener is aware, earthworms are a necessity. “They’re tunneling helps keep [the] soil porous and conduct moisture. They feed on decaying matter, leaves, and other plant matter, as well as fungi, bacteria, and nematodes, then excrete them as vermicompost or worm castings, one of the most potent soil amendments there is.”
Now that you know more than you ever wanted to know about worms, where in the world am I going with this? Well…life isn’t always the easiest – and I am not telling you anything there – but what do with all the “junk” that we have to work through? Does it have to bring us down? Does it have to leave us defeated? Or can it somehow be used for good? Now I don’t think we need to “feed” on the junk, but can’t we take all that “junk” and turn it into something beneficial?
A worm’s product—if you will—is one of the most potent soil amendments. I had to look it up, but an amendment, in this case, is something that is added to soil to improve its texture or fertility.
Can’t we take our troubles and, leaning on Christ, strive to be positive and loving and turn them into a means of helping others deal with their troubles—sharing and encouraging them? God can use all aspects of our lives and make them useful, even beautiful. Through Him, we can improve the environment around us.
Lord Jesus, help us bring all our troubles to You, and may You use them to make something beautiful of our lives. Amen.
Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion He understood
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife
But he made something beautiful of my life ~ Gloria Gaither

(Mar 31st, 2019, Sun, 6:27 pm)
Mar 31st. 2024, Sun, 7:12 pm