July 6, 2023

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a sunny day! Our house is filled with aroma as a pot of stew is simmering.

Al is back from Men’s group and this afternoon we have Bible Study here. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart

  While coming back from our walk on the Paul Bunyan trail yesterday, we noticed our elderly neighbor from next door pulling up part of her garden. I have written of her before as she has amazed us with her persistence when she tilled the soil and planted flowers that are in the middle of a service road adjacent to our courtyard. When we moved here that space was full of weeds and occasionally wacked when the lawn crew mowed the yard. But a couple from our apartment complex and one from the adjacent complex started planting flowers and changing the terrain to look beautiful rather than an eyesore. There were 2 plots left for quite some time until this neighbor next door from Assisted Living chose to make a difference. She is so persevering and went out each morning to till the soil and later to plant.  On occasion, Al has had to rescue her when she was not able to get up from her sitting position but that does not detour her. Her work has paid off as there are beautiful flowers of all colors blooming and transforming the roadway.

  But sadly, yesterday she was tearing up part of the garden and we wondered why. All along we have been trying to guess what some tall green plants were going to produce, and kept waiting for cucumbers, or zucchini or anything. But we just found out it is called Velvetleaf and is a noxious an invasive species that is very hard to get rid of; it only grows in a few states, Minnesota being one of them. What a bummer! It is important to remove it or it will take over, and for farmers it can cause millions of dollars in damage. But this morning as I look out our window, I see she has already cut down all the weeds and disposed of them. She must have been out there until dark!

  I was reminded of my own life and how there are times I am not sure if something is good or if it is something I need to cut out of my life. Things that compete with the Lord may be subtle at first but before long our spiritual life can be taken over by weeds of evil. We must be always alert, and watchful to not let that happen. What better herbicide than the Word, that will help us quickly get rid of anything the enemy is using to invade our souls. Let us be alert and quick to be done with all that diminishes our life in the Lord.