TLC

Every year I love to plant containers full of annuals to brighten up my yard. But usually long before summer is over, I tire of the constant watering and plucking of spent blooms. I force myself to keep at it, at least until the weather starts to turn colder.

But this year, my poor posies really suffered. We had our house painted so during that process, all of the planters were gathered together in one place to get them out of the way for the painter guy. Seems like it should have been easier to care for them since they were all in one big cluster. However, I ended up neglecting them. Now that the house is all shiny new looking, I have tried to revive my poor flowers, but they just don't look all that great! They need a little TLC.

Yesterday morning I was out on my walk before getting ready for church and I started thinking about when our neighborhood Bible study will start up again. We've taken a few weeks off since several of the ladies have been gone. But in just a week or two, we'll be back at it.

The funny thing is that, as much as I love our Bible study and the women in it, there is a part of me that could just go along quite happily without it right now. I realized that my feelings are a little bit like the way I get with my flowers. I love them, but they require work! And sometimes, I'm just plain lazy.

How often do I let relationships wilt because I just don't have the energy to pursue them? How often to I miss out on the sweet fellowship of friends because I don't want to commit to a schedule to meet with them? Right now, I have a dear friend who I have been thinking about calling for MONTHS. I think about her often. But, so far, no call. It requires effort.

Lord, forgive me for the times I let the blessings you put in my life wither and die because I get weary or selfish or just plain lazy. You have blessed me beyond measure with wonderful family and friends and I want those relationships to thrive and grow. I need to give them some TLC.

So, I'm going to fill up my watering can and head out to my wilting flowers. But first, I'm going to pick up my phone and call my dear friend.