Sometimes God brings someone into your life and, while you
don’t know the reason, you know that your meeting was not just by chance or
luck. I have been fortunate enough for
this to happen to me several times and this last one has been like a much
needed breath of fresh air.
While out photographing God’s beauty Ricky once again found
himself hearing me yell, STOP!! Out in a
field to our left sat a freshly painted 1948 Chevrolet Pick-up with what appeared
to be sunflowers growing out of the back of it.
We traveled to the end of the lane and I knocked on the door hoping to be
granted permission to photograph our find but no one was home.
I returned the next morning and finally met the creator of
what is, by far, the most spectacular private garden I’ve ever wandered
through.
The turquoise ’48 was just the
gateway to a perfect blending of vintage and bouquet.
As I rambled around I was lost in the beauty
and uniqueness of this wonderland.
And the soothing sound of music coming from
the little potting shed was just icing on the cake.
Just a few minutes into our conversation and we found
ourselves sharing about our common interests and it was easy to see that her
greatest passion is for our Lord. It was
not the image that our media portrays… that of a radical, Bible thumping, cram
it down your throat, “Follow Jesus or go to Hell” personality, but one that songs
are written about… a sweet, sweet spirit that fills the place and leaves you wanting
more.
I share this, not to embarrass her, but to tell you that the
whole experience left me in deep thought.
Without even knowing it, our purely unsolicited meeting was at a time in
my life when I was feeling beaten down by negativity. I needed to be reminded that God’s love is
like a drink of cool water on a hot day… refreshing!
So the real question for me is this… How has a chance encounter
with me left others feeling? That’s a
scary thought packed full of the realization that I am the only Jesus some will
ever see. I must work on this and, just
like any gardener, I’ve got a LOT of weeding to do.
