TODAY'S WORD IS ~

 

This word was sent to me by a fellow blogger.  I must admit I had to dig.  My first thought was about two songs "Wild Thing" (WAY BACK in my teen years) and the more recent "Born to be Wild" by Bruce Springstein.  I thought about Wildflowers, Wildlife, and "Wild as a March hare" (I have often used this phrase to refer to certain young people).  Of course this book

which is a great read whirled through my head.  After a great deal of thought,  I had decided upon a direction to take,

BUT GOD

As I was walking the Wonder Dog this morning on our local Greenway, God impressed me with a totally different direction.  I LOVE it when He reminds me who is my real source of inspiration.  

First a little side note ~  I do a lot of walking and praying.  I decided some time ago to not take any outside distractions with me when walking and use the time to pray.  In the quiet of the early morning, it is a great way to start my day.  This morning as I walked, I passed a young woman who was all plugged in and running.  This is not an unusual sight on the  local greenway.  What was unusual was her coming back around me sometime later.  I could hear her coming, for you see she was loudly singing praise to The Father.  Now I don't know about you, but I am doing good to breathe when running much less sing.  She quickly passed me and as I watched she raised her hands in praise.  Tears sprang into my eyes.  Running while praising ~ HALLELUJAH!  She quickly put me in my place as I realized her unashamed - out loud worship in the midst of the struggle to run had  made my efforts seem lame.    So if you see me walking and I am talking out loud---do not be surprised.  God and I are having a little chat.

Back to our word ~  

Golden rod beginning to bloom

                                                           A Wild Lily

I always notice the wildflowers--where ever I go.  My master gardener friend told me they are "Native Plants".  These flowers all grow on the sides of the path or deep in the woods.  The fact is most of the trees and plants we see as we drive along the road are all wild.  These pictures were made as I walked the Greenway.

The definition of Wild is~

growing in the natural environment; not domesticated or cultivated

My master gardener friends all have beautiful, well planned and tended gardens.  Their beauty touches my heart and calms my soul.  The thing I always remember when walking through their gorgeous gardens is how much work goes into this masterpiece.  The home where we raised our family was in the midst of 5 acres of woods.  They were beautiful.  That beauty came at a large cost of my time and energy.  It was an everyday struggle to keep those woods looking "natural".  If left untended, they soon would become filled with vines, undergrowth, and felled limbs and sometimes trees.   Any walk through them came with great peril.   The wild of nature was relentless in reclaiming those woods.

Hero and I walked this greenway path a couple of days ago.  The grass was a foot high right by the path.  When we went today, it had been recently mowed.  The city is working diligently to keep the surrounding woods from reclaiming the path.  If left alone, all things will implode to their original state.  So someone is keeping the path clear and not allowing the uncultivated wild to reclaim it.

So it is with our hearts.   God claims our hearts and makes them His when we turn to Him and surrender our sin filled lives.  The cultivation process then begins with The Word, prayer, and seeking Him.  It is a daily process to keep our hearts from returning to the wild state from which they began.   We cannot ignore our need for God and not expect our hearts to return to the wild state from which they originated.   The wild always wins the struggle if we are not careful to tend our garden.

Perhaps we were all "Born to be Wild", but I prefer to live with "Peace by the River" which only comes from Him.  This "Wild Thing" has been claimed as a "Child of God".  

It is NOT too late to inspire me with a word.  I am loving all the words sent so far!

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