Fertile soil

Earth knows no desolation.
She smells regeneration in the moist breath of decay.
 –George Meredith


My husband always had a compost bin, and now my daughter has begun one in her own back yard. It’s an amazing thing, really. Into the bin go banana peels and onion skins, cores from apples and seeds from peppers—even grass clippings and old newspapers. Add a sprinkling of water, turn the bin every few days—and wait. (It always seems to come back to Tom Petty, doesn’t it?)

The seasons change; days grow longer, then shorter, then longer again. And in the quiet darkness of that compost bin, transformation is happening. Those “icky parts,” the stuff we’ve deemed undesirable and unnecessary, are slowly and deliberately being transformed by a superior Gardener into rich, brown soil teeming with earthworms and releasing the earthy fragrance of life.

So it is in our lives, as well. Often the junk, the stuff we’d just as soon discard and pretend never existed, becomes the very thing God uses to prepare our hearts and souls for a season of growth. Rather than bury this stuff, God chooses to send people into our lives to help us turn back the surface and look for life in the darkness. And as the days begin to grow brighter, as the Light begins to shine again, we see a heart being prepared for even greater giving and receiving of life’s blessings.

Where do you see God “composting” in your life?


Monday It is now officially summer! Look around you for signs of the season, and thank God for his faithfulness in every season. Ezekiel 36:25-27

Tuesday God’s creation is continually changing, becoming new or renewing. Resolve to try something new today: maybe a new food or a new exercise. Reflect. James 1:17-18

Wednesday This season also brings fresh smells all its own. Step outside, close your eyes and breathe in the fragrances that surround you. What did you smell? Psalm 51:10-12

Thursday Is there a garden in your neighborhood? A window box or potted herbs? Pause and look closely at what is happening in these places where food, shelter and so much more are produced-- for all God’s creatures. Give thanks for this miraculous process. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

Friday Summer is a time, as well, for weddings. Is there someone you know who is preparing to join his or her life with another? Why not send a note or make a phone call offering your love? Genesis 2:20-24

Saturday As you turn your prayers to yourself today, simply rest in the knowledge that life goes forward, sometimes with pain or difficulty. Through it all, God is faithful to you. Joshua 1:5

Sunday Another day to gather in fellowship and praise God for the gift of renewed life! Greet someone whom you may not know well. Matthew 25:34-36


My whole life has been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God’s presence, the kind of transcending, magical experience that lets you see your place in the big picture. And that is what I had with my first compost heap. –Bette Midler

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