7Apr 09
Spring cleaning – Why?
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The effort, the time, the energy, Hmm… is cleaning garden beds really a profitable undertaking? Getting the hands dirty, pulling nasty weeds, transplanting, planting, mulching, working with the shovel and rake – why do it all?
This may be the thought crossing the worker’s mind when the garden beds look more like the green lawn, the weary mind is carrying too heavy of a load, and the tired hands seem to be covered with plump tiny cherries. The gardener considers: Why not let God’s creation take its natural course – isn’t there such a concept as wild and natural beauty?
Yes there is beauty in God’s creation, but unfortunately the world we live on is controlled by a law from which deviations cannot occur. It’s titled the law of entropy: best defined as all things are moving from a state of order to disorder.
We, as a family, had an eye witness account of this law being enforced a couple days ago when observing the landscape of our home dwelling. For the flower of yesteryear was now a brown stalk, the once pretty green leaves now a welted gray heap, and the freshly laid mulch a sun bleached disappearing woody mass. This is why natural beauty is not enough. God’s creation needs the Godly stewardship of human brawn and thought. The eye witness account proves this and therefore resulted in good wholesome labor.
Now the question, “Spring cleaning – why?” is answered, but only in part. The rest of the answer lies in a particular period of the lives of Rev. James Bruce and his wife, Eliza Bruce. Scottish folks from the 1600s were they: He, a faithful and powerful minister of the gospel: she, a mainstay and helpmeet. Once, upon moving to a new pastorate, Mr. Bruce and his wife, as usual, took up the dwelling of the former pastor. It was an old run down place, broken glass was patched with boards and the landscape horrible; *”To the walls too, clambered the dock and the nettle…the little plot… was so overgrown with brushwood and weeds of every description… the inside of the house was in no better a state…spiders and other vermin had long taken up their abode…. (Yet,) under Mrs. Bruce’s care every thing about the manse soon assumed a livelier and more handsome appearance”
Here we see, while the husband was faithfully ministering to those of his church, his wife was faithfully preparing her home For what purpose? Why was she cleaning up her garden beds and beautifying the landscape? *”So…That the traveler would not have passed it, without wishing to see it’s inhabitants: and the weary wanderer would have approached the door, in confidence of a kind welcome to nourishment and repose. ” Here is the other part to the answer – hospitality.
So, next time the garden needs spring cleaning remember why it’s being done; to develop an hospitable atmosphere from which strangers would deem it a delight to be entertained by. “For some entertain angels unawares” (Heb 13:2)
*Excerpts taken from The Persecute Family, a narrative of the sufferings of the covenanters in the reign of Charles II By Robert Pollock, A.M. (First published in 1859, last published by Sprinkle publications)
Great thoughts Matthew, it happens I just read something that confirmed my opinion that spring is a better time than fall to dig and prepare the garden beds. I always hate seeing bare soil and its billions of inhabitants exposed to the killing sun, even on such a small scale. But as soon as the seedlings have sprouted up, a nice mulch can go on. By the way, it comes to mind that the Lord even had the nation of Israel do a thorough house cleaning once each year in preparation for the passover. Are you all planning to celebrate that again soon?
I like that story – it gives new perspective and reason for taking time to beautify that which the Lord has given us to be stewards of. Thank you Matthew for taking the time to read and then share such inspirations.
It looks like we won’t be celebrating a Seder this year. Has your family ever been through one? That would be a fun thing to do! I appreciate the focus of family & remembering that a Christian Seder brings.
Thanks for the good & timely reminder.
Excellent, Matthew! I like that view of the typical spring mulching, planting, and mowing – all for the reason of creating an atmostsphere of hospitality.
Excellent, Matthew!
As I read over this, I thought back to the original creation of man when God took Adam “and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15).
And now, after the fall, it’s a bit harder! “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:17-19).
I really appreciated your conclusion. It reminded me of a definition of Hospitality: “Eagerly sharing food, shelter, and spiritual refreshment with those God brings into my life.” Your family is a great example of this!
Thank you Matthew, for the encouragement to see the bigger purposes in our duties.
We can see from the pictures that spring in VA is a little ahead of us here in WV.
Some of these pictures are from last year as well as this year. We took these pictures last year once the spring season had progressed a little further then it is now in 2009. WE might actually not be so far ahead of WV.
[...] as was accounted of in a post early last year, beauty and order should be present at our abodes, ”So…That the traveler would not have passed [...]