Mulched

Mulched

Somewhere between late spring and early summer, the flower beds and tree borders of my yard receive a good cleaning and then a layer of dark, pungent, feathery mulch.

I didn’t know to do this until I observed that the healthiest-looking landscaping in my neighborhood was covered each spring in a deep blanket of the smelly, organic stuff. Then I googled why mulch? and got on board.

In early May my beds smell like a ripe barnyard (the smell fades in a week or so), but the soil will hold its moisture and weeds will be kept (mostly) at bay for another year. By then, all the stuff that was spread on top will have worked its way into the soil and nourished it, and it will be time to mulch again.

The last time I swept away the stray bits of mulch from the sidewalks and driveway, I thought, This is me. Loads of stuff from elsewhere has been piled upon my heart in this emerging season and spread thick. It hasn’t been pretty. But it could, and in the Father’s sure providence will, turn out for my good. The mounds of trials and aches, together with the light of God’s Spirit and enough time, will somehow feed my soul, discourage weeds of sin and selfishness, and help me hold in my heart the much-needed water of his Word.

In this paradox-rich world my Father has created, dead matter (like mulch) can actually nurture and protect what’s living. And a layer of darkest brown can promise greener greens in days to come. I’ve seen the seasons change and observed his faithfulness through enough of them to believe that he’s at work beneath the surface of my life. I can’t see it yet. I don’t have to. But I will trust and wait.

I’ve been mulched. And I pray I am the better for it.

God is my king from of old, who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth. . . . You broke open springs and torrents; You dried up ever-flowing streams. Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have established all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter.

Psalm 74:12, 15-17, NASB