Bitter isn't Bad.

Hey guys,

Since I don't have an official job for the summer my dad has made a list of things I can do around the house. This includes going through our storage spaces and getting rid of anything we don't need; completely painting a redoing a room; as well as normal regular maintenance. One such thing is mowing the lawns in front and back yards regularly.

It's mostly dandelions in our backyard, but upon a quick scan I saw a small flowering bush which we used to have. They call it the 'Bleeding hearts' bush because of the shape of the flowers. And if I mowed, they would be dead for a year at least for sure. So I purposed to save them.

When I thought of that I wondered how many other types of plants there were in the backyard and started to compile a list. I also found some plants which were unexpected and have yet to find some that were expected. Felt like a true adventurer after all the work digging and exploring. Still more to do, but I think I have located about 25 species of plants back here.

I really expected to find some chives since we used to have a planter with lots of them. Haven't found that yet. However, I found a patch of large mint plants and what I think is parsley (tbd). So I started to wonder a bit about what things were and what was edible and did some Internet research. Last night I had a 'foraged' dandelion and mint salad with berries, coconut oil, and almonds.

One website I looked at spoke about how it used to be that people considered there to be a 'good bitter' and a 'bad bitter'. Although dandelion is bitter, it is fully edible and rich in vitamins to help us grow. When I was growing up though, I'm pretty sure us kids thought it was poisonous and everyone is always trying to get rid of them.

And I think this is how we usually approach difficulty or hardship in our lives. We try to avoid it, we try to remove it. But ultimately it is there to grow our character, as well as our hope.

Yesterday I also got to meet up with a buddy of mine as well as a sister in Christ and it was a pleasure of both my buddy and myself to hear of her joy in Jesus even through the difficulty of depression or anxiety. Although they are difficult situations and she wishes it was gone, she delights in the small victories and ways God provides, as well as looking forward to the hope we have in Jesus. As it says in Rev21:1-5: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.""

Especially the words of verses 4 and 5, God will remove every tear, death, pain, and suffering; He will make us and everything new. That is our hope! That although sin has caused pain and difficulty now, through Jesus and trusting in what He has done at the cross, we have been forgiven, adopted as God's children, and awaiting the day when all things will be made new again, free from that pain and sin's grip of destruction.

But even through that difficulty God provides and helps us trust in this ultimate ending! For now is but a light and momentary affliction which is incomparable to the glory that will be revealed in Jesus.

Rom5:3-5; Rom8:18-25.

Ttyl.

D.Fa