As I walked through the neighborhood this afternoon, I ran across this curious garden. Actually, what first drew my attention was the clump of daffodils all by themselves (in the upper right third of this picture – the darkish green blotch). Clearly, a house used to be there. And despite whatever destruction occurred to bring the house down and to clear the lot, these plants are persistent. They survived the house’s removal, and still bloom. I’ve walked past this lot almost daily for over a year, and just now noticed them.
Clearly, there is an illustration for perseverence here. But I’m going to let that one ride for now, in order to look at something else.
One of our local issues is that economics are such that houses are abandoned and are either arsoned or fall down on a regular basis. Not a week goes by without an arson being reported on the news, it seems. Many neighborhoods deal with abandoned houses or vacant lots. It is a symbol of the urban decay so prevalant in the area. No one seems all that interested in redeveloping these properties.
One of our local issues is the attitude of “there’s nothing we can do about it.” Added to that is “why try – someone will just wreck it before it has a chance.” Yet, an infusion of the hope of the Gospel, in the shape of the transforming power of Christ, could really work through the fabric of our community and bring about genuine positive change.
In fact, since the promise of the Gospel is not just transformation but re-creation – New Creation – there is hope even in neighborhoods with abandoned properties. And I think this leftover garden demonstrates that it only takes ordinary stuff to bring hope to bear.
Other thoughts?