Gardening

This morning was perfect for working in the garden.  It has rained a lot recently, so the ground was nice and soft for pulling weeds.  Various birds, ducks, worms, and bugs were keeping me company, and Jesus met me there, as He often does.  I worked hard, raking out last year's leaves and dead stuff, and pulling lots and lots of weeds.  My back and legs ached from hunching over so long, and my hands looked like this:

After an hour, I could see the fruits of my labor.  The strawberry plants that I had been working around looked healthy and free to grow.

I felt good about my productive hour of work, stood up to stretch my aching muscles, and looked down the length of the garden.  From that perspective, I could see I still have so much work to do.  It was a little daunting.

Jesus brought to mind my friend who is discouraged about all the evil in the world, and as I surveyed my work,  I knew what He wanted me to tell her.  You can't stop all the evil and save all the animals in the world, but you can certainly make a difference in your sphere of influence.  I can't get every weed out of the garden, but the little corner I worked on today looks way better than it did before I started.  Tomorrow I'll do a little more.  So, dear friend, just do what you can, be happy with what you've done, and don't give up!