Do you think she will mind?

What would you think if I told you I met someone and felt an instant connection? Someone that I took out only two weeks after I first met her and couldn't take my eyes off of her. What if I told you I professed my love to her within a week? And that I planned to marry her shortly after that. What would you tell me? That it's too fast? That I need to plan it out. Slow it down. It's too soon. What if I told you that it was right and nothing you could say would make me change my mind? Would you call me foolish behind my back? Would you expect it to end as quickly as it began? You know, if I were in your shoes I would probably be thinking the same thing. But I'm not in your shoes. I'm in mine and I know what my heart wants no matter how quickly it happens. 

Now what if I told you that you were too late to change my mind? My decision has been made and I know that I'm supposed to be with this woman until death do us part. And what if I told you that she makes me the happiest man alive? Would you tell me to be cautious? What if I told you that the relationship that started so quickly burned brightly for 26 years? Until death did us part. Still feel like it is a bad decision?

Do you recognize the name Roy C. Sullivan? It's not exactly a household name. Roy C. Sullivan was a man who was struck by lightning and survived. Surviving a lightning strike is pretty incredible. Surviving a lightning strike twice is almost unheard of. Surviving a lightning strike SEVEN times puts you in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Does being with someone new make all the old go away? Absolutely not. Will being with someone new make you no longer grieve your losses? Never gonna happen. Does being with someone new give you someone who will comfort you in your grief and help shoulder the load? I would certainly hope so. It would have to be someone very special though. So far I think she is. Could I be giving Mr. Sullivan a run for his money? I hope not seven times. But twice could happen. And if it does I pray that everyone understands. 

Especially Wanda.

DO YOU MIND

One thing weighs heavy on my mind.

One thing grips at my heart

One thing I kneed to know

It's about a brand new start

Do you mind if I give my heart to someone new

Do you mind? 

Do you mind if it beats for one who isn't you

Do you mind?

Do you mind if I try to love again

Do you mind?

Do you mind if I have a peace within

Do you mind?

I've met someone else

Someone to help me bear the pain

The pain of losing you forever

Someone helped me love again

Do you mind if I give my heart to someone new?

Do you mind? 

Do you mind if it beats for one who isn't you?

Do you mind?

Do you mind if I try to love again?

Do you mind?

Do you mind if I have a peace within?

Do you mind?

To the one who helped me love again

Something I need for you to tell

As I rise above the pain

I ask one thing of you as well

Do you mind if my heart was held by one?

Do you mind?

Do you mind if I cry for that which has been done?

Do you mind?

Do you mind cause it's just too much to bear?

Do you mind?

Do you mind that I'm asking you to share?

Do you mind?

So much came from so little

You can learn a lot from a little. The scripture tells us that if we simply had the faith of a mustard seed we could move a mountain. While some may see this as a sign of how little faith we have I prefer to look at it as to how much faith we could have. If faith can be as small as a mustard seed then imagine what faith the size of a sunflower seed or even a walnut could do. I began to think about seeds that have been planted in my life along the way. Then that led me to think about the very nature of seeds. And here is what I have learned. 

1. Not all seeds will produce what they were intended to produce immediately. 

A seed, once planted, takes some time to germinate. It must be watered and fed on a daily basis. Some seeds can sprout within a few days but more tend to sprout over a longer period of time. Why is this? Why don't all seeds germinate in the same length of time? When a seed is planted and watered it takes some time for the water and nutrients to work their way through the outer shell and into that portion of the seed that needs to activate. For some seeds with a soft shell the activation may happen sooner while harder shells may take a little while longer.

2. A seed must be planted in the right soil

Surrounded by bad soil, seeds may never grow. If they do grow the end result will usually wither and die. Surrounded by good soil a seed can grow and even flourish. 

What is planted in our hearts can be the same way. If we build up walls around our hearts like a thick shell we may keep the bad out but we also keep the good from reaching what God intended to grow there. 

3. Some seeds can be crushed but that doesn't mean they are useless

Sometimes a heart is broken and what's inside is exposed to a number of things. Some can be good. Some are not so healthy. If the unhealthy reaches the inside first, what grows will not be pretty and it will eventually die. But if it is exposed to good then something healthy can grow. But what if what has happened is so bad that the shell around your heart becomes too thick for anything to get through?  How can anything grow when the hurt has been so great that we would never consider letting the walls down?

4. Sometimes, even through the toughest shell, life can happen suddenly

When it comes to gardening there is a solution to the problem of getting a seed to produce quickly. Using a process called seed scarification the shells of the seeds can be shaved, sanded, or clipped to allow the nutrients to get to the heart of the seed more quickly. 

I believe sometimes God has to shave, sand, or clip our shells to get through to us. The blessings He has for you may not occur until after the pain has. It didn't for Job.

Would you consider letting God shave away that part of you that you have built up to keep the pain away?  What if He already has? Can you make a point of letting the  heart of your seed be exposed to all of that around you? Try it? Ask God to whittle away the bad and expose the heart to that which is good. When you do, you will be surprised at what can quickly sprout up from your heart.

I know I am.