I Wanna Be a Hosta!

It’s hotter than Hades here in Illinois. So, naturally, we picked this week to plant grass seed and new shrubs (which I purchased at the bargain price of “buy it now for practically nothing because it could potentially die on your drive home”). I took approximately 3 showers yesterday just from doing regular life stuff. I knew that my plants were in grave danger if I didn’t give them a good shower themselves. So here is what I am dealing with: I planted a few new shrubs (on their death-bed before they even hit the dirt) and some herbs, spread the grass seed and transplanted some bushes from one part of my yard to another. All of this requires a rigorous, daily watering regimen. If I don’t spend about about 20 minutes watering these new seeds/plants, they will surely wither and scorch in the heat. I do not have a green thumb so their life expectancy is still to be determined. Here’s what I was thinking as I stood, sweating profusely, watering my new plants yesterday: “I may have made an enormous mistake. I should have stuck to Hostas and called it a day.” Are you familiar with Hostas? My front yard is full of them. I love Hostas because one, I am cheap and you can split these and replant portions of them other places without having to spend money and two, you have to work really hard to kill them. Even when you split them you can just hack off a few leaves with teeny tiny roots at the end and literally shove them in some dirt and they will live. Once you plant them, you can throw a little bit of water their way initially, then leave them alone and they will grow with very little attention. That’s my kind of landscaping: Plant: Water: Ignore: Enjoy.

I wish I were a Hosta kind of girl. I wish I could read, meditate, or pray occasionally and attend a weekly church service or Recovery Meeting and continue to grow at a lovely, flourishing pace. But alas-I am more of a newly-transplanted shrub that has been planted in scalding hot temperatures and harsh conditions. If I don’t “water” regularly I will surely wilt and eventually die. The reality for me is that inspiration and motivation leak. I can read a phenomenal passage in the morning or spend quiet time meditating and by the time I finish breakfast I have lost my serenity and am off and running with worry and fear leading the way. I don’t know the “why” of it, but God did not design us to live like Hostas. He wants us to depend on Him for the refreshment and nourishment that come when we look to Him on a consistent basis. I used to think that meant every morning I should rise and start my day with Him. I still believe that gets me off to a good start, but it’s only a start. Unless I turn to Him for guidance and strength to make every decision, to respond lovingly to every person, to see the world beyond my selfish plans, I start to shrivel under the harsh conditions of the world. The heat gets to me. My beauty begins to fade. My life expectancy is questionable.

A song that I have on a CD in my car and turn to regularly (song number 14…) reminds me of what I need to pray in order to survive the Heat of the Day-all day. Everyday.

“I need You Oh, I need You. Every hour (read: minute. Second.) I need You. My One Defense, my Righteousness, Oh God, how I need You.”