The Fountain That Ran Dry
This morning our dolphin fountain was empty…again! It hadn’t been windy enough the past few days for the water to be blown out of it, like it was last week. But we had very low humidity, which caused the water to evaporate…and Keith had turned off the sprinklers that filled it each morning. It wasn’t an issue the first couple of days the sprinklers were off. There was still enough water in the bowl to allow the pump to run properly. But cut off from the source that fills the fountain every morning, the water didn’t last: It must be filled daily to run properly, to not run dry and burn out the pump.
This is the Lord’s picture to me of how I burned out. I slowly cut myself off from the daily filling of the Lord. In my extreme busy-ness I would pray and study God’s word, but my adrenaline was ALWAYS pumping. So many tasks lay ahead of me that “had” to be completed “right away” that I wouldn’t sit and ponder what He was trying to speak into my heart, mind and spirit. I got out of balance and s-l-o-w-l-y the Living Water dwindled away. I didn’t let it refresh and renew me because I “had” to “get to work”. My focus had shifted from what was truly important to what was merely urgent. This was my doing – not the Lord’s. He beckons me daily to spend time with Him, but the amount and quality of the time I give Him is my choice.
And so, my fountain ran dry – or nearly did – doing the Lord’s work in my own strength, which did not last. When I was so spent that even my reserves were depleted, I had to stop before I totally burned out…
And thus began a new season with the Lord, turning the faucets back on…being immersed in the refreshing water of His presence…drinking deeply during rich time in His word…stopping to ponder and listen again for His voice…for what He is saying to my heart, mind and spirit.
I was so grateful He let me continue leading worship at Community Bible Study. The songs He put in my heart and mind were the small trickle that kept my heart alive…and which turned into a full-flowing river, allowing my cup – my fountain – to once again overflow!
So, how are you doing today? Is your fountain running dry? Are you so crazy-busy with urgent matters (after all, this is the holiday season!) that the Lord’s living water is evaporating from your life? Why not STOP, right now…and ask the Lord to slow you down and show you what is most important – so He can fill you up till you, too, are overflowing.
John 4:14b “Indeed the water I (Jesus) give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Isaiah 58:11b “You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring (a fountain?) whose waters never fail.”
EUCALYPTUS TREES
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- One of our eucalyptus trees
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- Another of our dying eucalyptus trees
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- A “buggy” eucalyptus tree.
Last week we had three eucalyptus trees taken out of our garden. Two were totally dead; one was struggling, as some kind of lerp or psyllid was sucking the life out of it.
We’d had these stately old trees trimmed last fall, pruned hard in preparation for the predicted El Nino rains that never arrived. They’d all initially shown signs of life, as small branches began to re-grow and leaves began to sprout. But as our drought continued through winter, spring and early summer that new growth slowed to a stop; what had already grown began to turn brown and die. It was in the heat of mid-summer when I saw that two of these trees that had provided shade from the heat and protection for birds and wildlife, were totally dead. And I realized that they had become unsafe and would have to be removed. Oh, how I grieved for these beautiful treasures, these dear “old friends” which had helped define our garden as lush and green; able to be seen from blocks away.
I was so grateful for the one eucalyptus that was still alive, bushy leaves filling each bare limb and providing shade from the searing summer sun. But as summer wore on, that eucalyptus began showing evidence that lerps were eating its leaves. I feared that without adequate rainfall it, too, would soon succumb, as had the others. It was in great distress, yet I held out hope that it would recover and wouldn’t need to be removed.
Keith did not and had other plans.
He made a financial decision: Rather than pay to have tree trimmers come out to remove the dead trees and then pay them to come again and remove the distressed tree when it died, he chose to have all three trees removed at the same time.
And so, at the end of October all three of them were removed…
…And I wondered what the underlying cause of their death really was…Drought? Was the pruning last year too severe? Had the salvias and sages growing around the base of the trees sucked whatever nutrients they’d needed from the ground in which they grew, even though these were mature, established trees?
And as I wondered and pondered, I realized that the timing of the demise of these “old friends” came at the same time that I was suffering burnout from serving in leadership at my church. Could the Lord have a lesson for me in this? Might He be trying to reveal to me the underlying cause of what had happened in my heart, mind and emotions that led me to say, “I can’t do this anymore!”
I’m sure you can already tell that He did…and that I will be sharing it with you.
But for today, let me encourage you to seek the Lord and His will in each and every area of your life. Do not withhold anything from Him. Ask Him to examine your heart and your mind and show you clearly what things He wants you to offer to His direction and care. Surrender those things to Him and don’t be afraid. Then rest…and trust His loving, caring heart for you. He has so much more in store for you than you could possibly imagine.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Thank You, Lord, for the ways that You are guiding us on this journey through life. Please help us to seek Your will in all we do. I’m so grateful that we can trust You for everything we need for this life and the next! Amen
The White Chrysanthemum
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- Red Chrysanthemum
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- White Chrysanthemum
A couple of years ago we decorated our Thanksgiving tables with pots of deep red chrysanthemums. They were rich and dark, like a burgundy wine, which is one of my favorite colors. A few days after the festivities were over we planted those little potted plants in the garden along our driveway.
The next year all of the mums grew back large and lovely, their deep red color gracing our fall garden. Each time I went to my car I was reminded of our gathering the year before, which caused me to think of things for which I was grateful many weeks ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
But the following year – last year – one of the plants grew back pure white! There was no evidence anywhere that it had once been a deep, rich, burgundy-red! A lone white mum surrounded by “Heaven on Earth” roses and burgundy-red mums! And this year that chrysanthemum is coming up pure white again – proving this unexpected change is permanent.
Isn’t that what happens when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior? His blood washes us of our crimson-colored sin-stains, leaving no trace of the sin that once overwhelmed us! It washes away every speck of sin, making us perfectly holy before our Holy God, spotless, whiter than freshly fallen snow. And that’s a permanent change, as well, for when we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)!
As the old hymn states, “O the blood of Jesus, it washes white as snow.”
Isaiah 1:18 ““Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…””
Thank You, Father, for Your incredible love, Your amazing grace, Your gift of forgiveness. And thank You for the white mum You placed in our garden, which reminds me of all You’ve done for us!