living on the wrong side of the river

I was reading last night about the time when the children of Israel were getting ready to cross over the Jordan river into the promised land. A couple tribes liked the land on the wrong side of the river, and wanted to claim that for themselves.

They were told they could have it, but they first had to go and fight with the others to claim the promised land.

The promised land is often a picture of our life with Christ. It's possible to be content to sit "just across the river" ... within sight of Christianity, but never get one's feet wet to actually make the commitment. Some people who are "fighting" beside us ... who have the same political views, and the same burdens for social issues ... may never have really made the west side of the Jordan their home.

So I want to remember to make them feel welcome here also! There's plenty of room ... they can claim some ground and plant petunias ... this can be "home" to any who want to get their feet wet.

Speaking of petunias ... I actually got my poor, neglected house-plants transplated. Their roots are still recovering from the shock of 10 years of neglect.

This summer, I overheard a friend out on my balcony talking to my spider plant,
"people shouldn't HAVE plants, if they're not going to take care of them. I'm sorry you suffer so."

OK. I get the picture! :)

Got a good long visit to the gym yesterday, and finally my house is reasonably clean once again. A stay-at-home day off is SO useful every now and then!

Trinka