I love the way God uses everything around me as a portal into His heart and into my own soul. Last week was bittersweet. Our grandsons spent the week with us and we had great fun working and playing. One of the things we did was to labor hard together on a project in the yard, digging up a big square of grass, sifting through the dirt to get rid of bits of debris and weeds so the extra dirt could be used to create interesting little hills and valleys while the weeds went in the green waste bin. Then we shoveled in a layer of pea gravel and a top layer of decomposed granite to create a patio of sorts for our lawn furniture. While we enjoyed the time we spent with our grandsons, our otherwise peaceful, somewhat orderly life was thrown into confusion and disarray by these two precious, rambunctious boys. And I didn't always handle the confusion and disarray in the calm, wise, confident way I'd like to have. My own heart was unearthed and sifted revealing the weeds and debris I try to convince myself don't exist any longer. Alas, there they were. I'm left this week feeling like a garden of weeds. Father in heaven, thank you for revealing the weeds that remain. Pull them out and destroy them so that I may see just a glimpse of the good you have worked in me as well; so I can see once again Your presence in my life. Thank you for your overwhelming love and grace.