Raking It In

                                                     
     Yesterday, Steve and I cleaned his mother's yard.  They have a beautiful, big camphor tree in the front yard.  Last week's storms have helped loosen all of it's dead leaves.  They filled the front yard, and made their way through the carport into the back yard!  These mixed with the big avocado tree's leaves and made a huge mess. 
     We raked and filled bags all afternoon.  After mowing and edging, the yard looked nice again.  I found myself thinking, "At least it only happens once a year!"
     How often do the storms of our lives loosen our 'dead leaves'?  The winds blow in through difficult circumstances into our lives, and help rid us of character defects that have developed that we need to get rid of, in order for new growth to occur.  God uses those storms to shake us and help us to become beautiful creations, once again.  From time to time, we need to clean things up in our lives.
     Raking up the dead 'leaves' is a tedious job.  At times, we may have to go retrieve the leaves from the areas that they have blown into.  We can even receive painful 'blisters' in doing so.  Yet when all is said and done, the rain softly comes, and new growth blooms and blossoms, and we are renewed. 
Send the storms, Lord so You can refresh and purify my broken spirit. 
     "Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
                                                                                              Psalm 51:10