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Power Verse……
“Love
suffers long and is kind; love does not
envy; love does not parade itself; is
not puffed up; does not behave rudely;
does not seek its own, is not provoked,
thinks no evil; does not rejoice in
iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.
Love never fails.......And now abides
faith, hope and love but the greatest of
these is love." (Selected verses from 1
Corinthians 13.) |
This is a lovely example of how we can
plant various things in our
relationships with our family and
friends that will result in great
benefits.
A family and a friendship can be
compared to many things, but perhaps
best of all to a garden. These
relationships requires attention and
cultivation. The sunshine of laughter
and affirmation. It also needs the rains
of difficulties, tense moments, and
serious discussions about issues and
matters of great importance which none
of us are immune from. There must also
be spade work, where hardness is broken
loose and fresh seeds are planted with
lots of TLC. Here are some suggestions
for sixteen rows worth planting.
Four rows of peas:
Preparedness....Perseverance....Promptness....Politeness
Then three rows of squash:
Squash gossip....Squash
criticism....Squash indifference
Along with five rows of lettuce:
Let us be faithful....Let us be
unselfish....Let us be loyal
Let us love one another....Let us be
truthful
And four rows of turnips: Turn up with a smile....Turn up with a
new idea
Turn up with determination....Turn up
regularly
And then? Well, from then on it's pretty
simple. Work at it, water, weed, tend
with care and patiently watch the
"garden" develop. Some perhaps have
tended their "garden" all their life and
are reaping wonderful benefits and
rewards. However, it's never too late to
start! Your effort and
work will be well rewarded.
Like a lovely garden, your relationships
with friends and family will be a thing
of great pride, a seasonal beauty and a
daily joy. Oh, and don't forget, the
soil needs a sprinkling of prayer to
produce quality plants!
A worthwhile read.......The
Parable of the Sower.....Matthew 13: 3 -
9
