The temperature today was in the thirties.  Really cold.  It was in the eighties a couple of days ago.  Oklahoma at it's best.  Of course, I am concerned about my tomatoes.  I knew when I planted them that just because it was April--and it seemed like spring--it didn't mean anything in Oklahoma.

The azaleas are blooming, daffodils have come and gone--as well as most of the other spring flowers.  But weather here is totally unpredictable.  I knew I planted my okra too early.  I'll probably have to plant it again.  I'll know in a day or two.  If you are a gardener in Oklahoma, you must never give up.

The Iris that I brought from Pryor and planted in the front yard are blooming like crazy.  The same iris from the exact same roots, I planted in the back yard, and they didn't bloom at all.  So as well as trying to figure out the weather, you have to figure out where the plants will be happy and grow.

The weeds grow everywhere.   Bad things are easy.  Good things are hard.  Just like life.  I wish Adam wouldn't have sinned and gotten the "Weed Curse."  Weeds make the gardening work so difficult.   For every single tomato plant, there are ten to twenty weeds trying to soak up the fertilizer I put down.  But when I pick my first tomato, pulling out all the weeds will have been worth it.

I try to pull the weeds out of my life, but I am by nature selfish, self-centered, stubborn, etc., and it is a lot of work to keep my true nature at bay so that my better qualities can be seen.  (I do have a few.)

The Bible study that I am in is examining the "Character Traits of Christ"--which are not natural qualities in human beings.  We are all flawed and in need of self-examination.   And change.   We need to pull weeds and plant flowers in our lives.  It is a life long journey.  We start with a willingness to change our behavior; He gives us the strength to do it; and we do the "doing."

A friend once told me, "Don't ever ask to see yourself as God sees you--or you will be overwhelmed and give up."  Luckily, God leads us on one step at a time, never giving us more than we can handle at any given moment.  One weed at a time.