Lessons from the Brambles

July is flying by with days full of harvests and preserving. It's curious to think that autumn is always thought of as harvest time, when so much of it happens in mid-summer. From the green beans to the summer squash, to the blueberries and blackberries, it seems everything is ready all at once and the pressure cooker won't work fast enough.

Blackberries. OH! the blackberries. God's free gift to us. We have but to walk and pick, and enjoy. Easy? No way. The bushes are full of thorns, and I've been snared many a time, not able to free myself, but requiring the assistance of my picking buddies. The plants are always surrounded by poison ivy. Always. Mosquitoes, snakes, and purple stained fingers, evidenced by the above photo, are just a few of the hardships of picking the berries, but they're worth it.

Blackberries and the obstacles we face to gather them remind me of my walk with the Lord. We don't walk blindly into the berry brambles, but we prepare. We don high boots, denim jeans, bug spray, and carry water with us. When we arrive back home we fill the bathroom sink with a mixture of cool water and Clorox, rinsing our skin thoroughly to wash away any poison ivy.

My walk with the Lord isn't always easy and there are many perils along the way, but I prepare by reading the Word, and suiting up. Sometimes I need fellow believers to "pull me from the brambles". It's an amazing parallel, really.

*Disclosure- Odd place for a link to a bathroom sink? Kind of, I guess, but CSN asked me if I'd like to review a product for them in exchange for linking back to their company. They're offering me a gift card to use toward the purchase of anything I'd like. Too good to pass up, wouldn't you agree?