weeding

"Should this autumn bring rain or storm, I know not;

my duty for today is to weed the paddy field."

(quote from Ninomiya Sontoku--famous old guy for something about farming in Japan)

I found this quote today and loved the wisdom it offered of active faith. This stage of life for me and a lot of my friends is intrinsically uncertain. But, really isn't this true for anyone in any stage of life? I guess the weight of the decisions we make as 20-somethings (ehhhh, I mean early 30-somethings-shoot) just seems so heavy. I often have to remind myself that God isn't stumped by my bad decisions. He doesn't say, "Well, crap Millie. Why'd you go and do that? Do you have any idea how I'm going to get you out of this pickle now?" This doesn't excuse us from making good decisions and just doing whatever "feels good." We can not base our decisions on our emotions; they are fickle, fickle things. I'm getting off track.

These words remind me that God expects me to be faithful with the here and now. I don't know what the "fall" of my life will bring, but for this season, I know what my task is to do and I need to do it well. Weeding is a tedious and never-ending job. But it's a necessary job. If the weeds are taken care of, there is a bountiful harvest. What kind of weeding do I need to do to be more productive for the Kingdom?

star-crossed lovers

Today is July 2nd and I absolutely can't believe it. Mostly because there are no red, white and blue banners and stars decorating every store and street. It just doesn't feel like summer to me, except for the rising heat and humidity everyday.

Tanabata (Star Festival) will be on the evening of July 7. The legend behind the festival is that the Cowherd Star (Altair) and Weaver Star (Vega), lovers separated by the Milky Way, are allowed to meet just once a year - on the seventh day of the seventh month. Children and adults write their wishes on slips of paper and hang them on artificial or real branches of bamboo. I'm seeing these all over the place. I read a description of this practice of hanging prayers/wishes on these branches of bamboo. It said that parents tell their children that if they pray diligently, then what they want will be granted. This is much like the American tradition of making a wish when you blow out your birthday candles.

I'm thankful that our Abba doesn't depend on our prayers to give us good things. I'm so glad that we have a good and generous God. Grace is a wonderful, wonderful thing.