Lessons From The Ditch

The dusty, trampled Plantain that grows in the road is tough.

It tends to grow where some plants can not. Plantain may seem like an obnoxious weed to you, but in many cultures they use it for healing purposes. Used as a balm, for many skin disorders and inflammation, a tea for digestive issues or infections, as an infusion in apple cider vinegar to soothe poison ivy, or as a poultice to ease the sting of sunburn or bug bites. Many different health problems can be healed just from this little wide leaf plant.

In fact, if you are out in the yard, or on a hike - look for a bit of Plantain when you get stung. If you're not brave enough to chew a piece (after washing) and rub it onto the bite, then just rub it hard enough to crush and bruise the leaf to release it's anti-inflammatory and astringent healing.    

As a mom, I have spent many years looking for the stories, in ways that may seem unconventional or useless to onlookers.  

    

The purpose was to help my children take time to notice what    

         others may never see.                

 To get them to understand the world is bigger than just little me, myself and I.  

It has been a habit for so long that I still see a story everywhere I go. As I was taking a walk on our gravel road today, I was accomplishing several things. 

1.) I was out in the middle of a summer day, enjoying the unusually cool breeze, and fresh air. With my chronic illness, this is a gift in itself to be outside for pleasure in the middle of the day in July. Because of my illness, I do not get to bask in the sunshine like before. I must go out in the coolness of the day if I need to do any gardening or chores. 


2.)Also, I am recovering from the latest injury of swollen ribs simply because I cleaned my bathtub. My walk was for rehab and testing my limits.


3.)As part of my therapy for mental health, I chose walking, to give myself a goal to walk further than I have in a very long time. (At this point, if I go to the end of our road from both sides, I could walk 2 miles) Wish me luck.


4.) I usually bring my phone so I have a camera handy, just in case. I thought of a story, and here we are!

Your life might look a lot like the trees that try to grow in our ditch.

A big conglomerated mess. Dusty, shredded and torn down by the county maintenance trucks.

Maybe it has always been like this, every time you accomplish anything, it seems to mess up everything around you. One step forward, two steps back. Perhaps you didn't get this way on your own, but life wasn't easy to breeze through. Or, possibly, you just couldn't take anymore and created your own disasters.

Maybe you have lost everyone in your life and now you must make it on your own. 

But that Mulberry tree that was cut down this year, comes back next year and grows again and again. Every time it gets destroyed, it tries again, never giving up. Maybe someday, it will be full of delicious berries to make another pie. We too, must never give in. Keep coming back and try again. 

Or like this Mushroom growing on the tree, slowly eating away at the bark, some may feel as if they are a parasite, not able to survive without that special someone, not worth anything without them.

But the mushrooms are just doing their job. Taking care of an old tree, slowly turning it back into fertile soil for a new, healthy tree to grow someday.

Every single person in this world is loved by the One who created us, and He took care of everything that was ever needed to be able to restore your name as a Child of the King. You are worth His own Son dying to take your place, to take back what the Enemy wants to steal. Because of Jesus, we will see our loved ones again.

He came to heal our scars, all our secrets, all our sorrows. But we must let him carry it for us and not try to make it on our own, or it will eat away at our lives and never heal the brokenness inside.

Others may feel they are wasting away, in a useless place, like asparagus growing in a ditch. If only they could get out of their situation, then things would be different. People could see your value, and you could live up to your potential. 

Asparagus in a ditch isn't much different than the ones you get at the grocery store. Many people slowly drive by in the spring, searching for that spot they saw last year, hoping to get a free meal of the coveted asparagus. Personally, I don't even like it, so I am more than happy to let the passersby pick to their hearts' content. 

You are like that Asparagus. Much more valuable than you realize, and highly sought after by a loving Creator. If you were to scoff at Michelangelo, or Van Gogh, when they unveiled their creations, it would be like a slap in the face for what they have done. Anything of value deserves to be well taken care of, and God desires our trust, waiting to be able to help us when we ask. He tells us we are His beloved, not to fear and He will hold us.

You are like a beautiful Neon Star Dianthus.

Bright and glorious, catching the eye. Calling all bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to drink in the nectar of your goodness. No matter who, or where you are, or what problems you may be facing - you have purpose, you are beautiful just the way you are, and no one else can be a better you, than you. Do what you do best, and God will take care of the rest.

My story today covers a lot of ground...

But if you think about it, the old adage - "Bloom where you're planted"   takes on a new light.

 Remember the dusty, trampled, wide leaf Plantain? In your yard, it may be just another unwanted weed. In the ditch, it is just another part of the green ditch. In the woods, it may bring a bit of diversity to the landscape, but not many ever notice it. No matter where it grows, it grows the same. It may be large or small depending on the soil, but it will always be there. Small but strong, tedious to remove, but tough to survive.

    In our Ditch, literally and figuratively, there are many diverse mini-cultures. 

Where I am in my "ditch", may not look anything like your "ditch." 

    We all have losses, we all have problems.                 

Life is never ideal. 

                (If it is, just hang tight - because it will pass, and so will the hard times.)                

We must learn to be tenacious like the road weeds. 

        So teach your children and your grandchildren to look around for the little things.                        

 To let them see the forgotten child in the corner who needs a friend,

or to stop and enjoy all the tiny, fascinating details 

of creation that are around us each and every day.

To understand that every single one of us is important right where we are.

Always more stories from the journey of life  by: Sue Leerhoff

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