Crepe Myrtles

There are Crepe Myrtle plants everywhere in the county that I live in because they grow very well in north Texas. I decided a couple months ago that I wanted to plant some in a line along the back side of our house to block out the view of the road. Now, when I decide something, I usually get right on it and this time was no different. I looked up the different ways to propagate a Crepe Myrtle plant from an existing plant because why go buy them when they are everywhere you look. First, I tried to take clippings from the tree at our church and root them at home, following the instructions from a blog that I read. That attempt failed miserably so I tried it again from one of the many trees next to my mom’s house, with permission from her neighbor of course. I managed to kill most of them also, but I do have two little stems hanging on by a thread right now.  I was told that I could go dig up some of the little sucker plants that were coming up around the trees of my mom’s neighbor, but I would need to get them quick before they had to mow again.  So off I went with my shovel, my pots filled with soil and my excitement building because this time it was going to work, and I will have my trees. I dug several of them up and planted them in my little pots and started watering them every day. I started reading about how to take care of my new little trees so they would grow big and strong. The more I read the more I realized that I had done this all wrong. You are not supposed to transplant Crepe Myrtles when it is hot outside, I should have done it later in the fall and on top of that, we are having record heat in the month of September. I kept watering my little trees every day and watching them get more and more brown.

One day, as I was walking by my little brown trees and I felt like I was supposed to start talking to them so they would live, because Jesus spoke to the fig tree, so why couldn’t I speak to these Crepe Myrtle trees. I told my little brown trees “you will live and not die in Jesus name”. Every time I walked by my trees, I said this to them and when my mom asked how they were doing, I told her that they will live and not die. I have to admit, I was a little discouraged because out of all the plants I dug up there was only one lone green leaf left but that one leaf was my glimmer of hope.

Today, I walked past my little trees and got the most beautiful surprise ever. There is new growth in the form of tiny little green leaves coming up on several of the branches. I am so beyond excited that I can’t even describe it, all I could say was “thank you Jesus!!”

I remember hearing a sermon once on Jesus speaking to the fig tree and if we go around speaking to trees then people would think we are crazy but to be honest with you, I don’t care it works!

I did nothing right on my own but when I brought God into it, He brought the rain and the new life on some twigs that looked like they were dead.

Speak to your mountains and they will move!!

Our Story

I heard a statement recently that has really stuck with me. Dr Bill Winston said, “The most important thing in your life is what you believe about your future”.

If you really think about it, that is a very true statement. If you have no hope for your future, then you really won’t expect much from it. Many times, we are so busy thinking about what has happened to us in the past that we don’t look at the future.

We all have a past and it’s our story.  Our story is what has molded our beliefs and behaviors today. Some of our stories hold onto much pain from things that have happened to us. I haven’t met anyone yet that didn’t have something painful in their past.

Why is it then that some people can lead a happy and successful life when they have pain in their story?

Success or failure depend on what we do with our past. If we decide to dwell on it and stay there in our thought life, we will fail to build the future that we want to have. Many times, we go through the motions of living life, but our minds will be stuck in the past. I know this girl spent too many years allowing what people have said to me or what they have done take up room in my head.

Where is your focus? Is it on the past? Current problems? Someone else?

How about a change of focus? A focus on the future.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you hope and a future.

Looking up at the sky this morning, I saw the clouds rolling by at a pretty good speed. This initiated the thought about how short life really is and sometimes it feels like it just glides by.

I don’t want to waste my time thinking on things that I can do nothing about. Let those things stay in the past where they belong. I will focus on the good future that God has in store for me. It’s a conscious decision that we make, and those old thoughts will try to creep back in. God has a great plan for you and the only way to get there is to believe what God said and make the future your focus.

You may have some destruction in your past but leave it behind and start over because you have a great future ahead, all you have to do is believe it.