SOME YEARS BACK I planted morning glories on either side of the front steps of our home. The vines that bear those beautiful flowers will grow out in every direction and sometimes in a big heap, unless you guide them to where they need to go. With a little help, mine would wind their way up the small trellis and onto the railings of the steps and along the pickets on the front porch. What a beautiful sight to wake up to – those beautiful purple flowers opening to the morning sun.

We’ve not lived in our home full-time for over eight years now and while we keep the grass mowed and the weeds at bay, we don’t pay much attention to landscaping. Flowers that once grew around the house are long-gone, some of the bushes have seen better days, but those morning glories keep coming back year after year. Only now there is no one to guide them as they grow. So they just grow round and round in a circle, never really going anywhere, just a big, heaping mess.

Sometimes our life feels like that, doesn’t it? We feel as if we are just running in circles never really getting anywhere, making a big, heaping mess out of everything! Unlike my unattended morning glories, however, our Gardener is always with us, ready to guide us as we grow. He can take our mess and make something beautiful out of it. If we will let Him. But that means letting go and allowing Him to do whatever is necessary to help us grow in the right direction.

One thing about morning glories is that even at the end of their season, when they are just a heaping mess, they still share a bit of joy and beauty with anyone passing by. Maybe later I’ll go out and see if I can undo a bit of their mess and see if I can guide them again, if they’ll let me.

My prayer for us today is that we will share a bit of joy and beauty with someone who passes by, and that we will allow our Gardener to undo the mess and guide us in the right way to grow.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Pam

NOTE: Pastor Pam Sutherland’s charges include Fort Gibson United Methodist Church in Castlewood, VA, and St. Paul United Methodist Church in St. Paul, VA.