Growing Pains

Sometimes I wish that the plants in my garden would grow a little less enthusiastically - especially the weeds!

We've had a few periods of rain in the last couple of weeks, which is in contrast to some parts of south-west Scotland and north-west England that are now under water restrictions such as hosepipe bans. Here the plants have responded enthusiastically.

I had been thinking for a few days that the hedge between our front garden and the street was going to need cut soon. Today the rain that had been forecast finally arrived. The droplets of rain on the hedge shoots made them all flop about and look even more overgrown.

We are hoping we might have visitors tomorrow afternoon. So if it is still raining then I don't want them to get soaked off the overgrown hedge. So the hedge had to be cut today - and it was still raining.

Ah well, I said to myself, I used to go sailing every weekend and get soaking wet - and that was sport and it was fun. Cutting the hedge is not in quite the same league - but I did get soaking wet!

It would be nice if the plants and animals in the world would grow and behave the way we want them too without us having to put in so much effort. If the fence surrounding a field with sheep in it has just the smallest hole, you can guarantee that one of the sheep will find it. And then all the rest, like sheep, will go astray, and follow the first one out of the hole and down the road.

Yet when it comes to obeying the rules - we humans are not too good at it. In fact, if we are honest with ourselves, we don't even keep our own rules, never mind the rules imposed upon us by government.

Some people like to think that they are good people. They obey the rules - well the important ones anyway. They are nice to people, instead of being nasty - well most of the time anyway.

Jesus said, "Why do you call me 'good'? No-one is good except God alone."

When we are tempted to grumble about plants, animals, or other people, being pesky and causing us trouble - let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.