An Obstinate Infidelity

For it is certainly true that God never leaves any till they first leave him, Matthew Henry 

My mother used to refer to refusal to adhere to wisdom as a spirit of contradiction. Here are some examples to sample: You say Black, I say White, you say That's not funny, I say, It is hilarious. You say, White lies are reasonable, I say White lies turn 

relationship into a murky smirky black mess. You think it acceptable to mock faith, and that is when I stop laughing. 

Author: C. Austin Miles, 1868 - 1946

I come to the garden alone

While the dew is still on the roses

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses

And He walks with me, and He talks with me

And he tells me I am His own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known

He speaks, and the sound of his voice

is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing

I'd stay in the garden with Him, 

Tho' the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go; thro' the voice of woe

His voice to me is callling

And he walks with me and he talks with me

And he tells me I am his own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known 

I didn't know, dear reader, that I am a foodie. I didn't know either, that there is a gardener in me that delights in whimsy. I am perhaps a cook and baker in training, and a late blooming tender of uniquely wonderful plants. My backyard is a sight to behold, and I am understanding the parable of the wheat and the tares. I am learning that they do in fact grow side by side, but to distinguish them, one from another, takes time. They must reach for the sun in unison, growing stronger all the while, before I can determine which to leave flourishing, and which to pluck up as unwanted weed. I dare not do this with souls ... the flowers God has planted will bloom at his command, and who am I to determine which is wheat, which is tare?

Except for this ... there are those among us that have the spirit of contradiction, or as Matthew Henry calls it, an obstinate infidelity. They do not walk with Him, they do not talk with Him, but rather, they grind there teeth, shake their heads to dislodge what He says, and walk or run away, muttering and cursing His name. Those are the tares, the ones that reject relationship with Truth, that refuse joy and laughter in his presence. Theirs is a dissonant song that is out of tune with the majestic voice that woos and wins souls.

Please do, have a listen to the song, the hymn, In the Garden. It is so lovely and sweet, and if it just so happens that if you too are a late bloomer, the song will make you weep in wonder, and have you longing for a bit of tarrying time with the Lord of creation in the garden of your soul.