The Garden Devos -- Life Giving Grace for Self Righteous Blood Suckers With No Blood to Suck

Some marriage advice giver has a book that describes a struggling marriage as "Two fleas and no dog."  My paraphrase - "two self-absorbed, self-righteous blood suckers with no blood to suck."

The devotionals on April 2nd and April 3rd kept me in the garden and focused on the garden, and trees, and life, and Christ's seed creating life trees or trees of life.

As I read the devos from April 2nd and April 3rd  I was reminded of these incredible revelations from scripture about how God transforms hearts and relationships. 

"He himself bore our sins on the tree that we might die to sin and live for righteousness!"
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

All the devotionals this week, but these two particular "garden" devos,  left me praising and thanking God for the unimaginable kindness and generosity he brings by ending the divisive pscyho-cycle of blood sucking hostility  through dying for me....... when I was still lost in the weeds (of sin.)

An old, old song "The Trees" by the band Rush painfully laments the carnage that comes from blood sucking hostility.  The lyrics of this song hauntingly capture the despair and violence of the "grace-less" garden untended by the flaming sword/sickle of the divine gardener.  Like much of the book of Lamentations the song leaves the listener with little good news or hope.  I nabbed a hope filled verse from Lamentations to finish this post and finish the song. 

THE TREES by Rush

There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas

The trouble with the maples
And they're quite convinced they're right
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade?

There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream, "oppression"
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
"The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light"
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet
Axe
And saw..........The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness!!  - Lamentations 3:22-23