January 3, 2010

Clod-bustin' with Hosea

Sow to yourselves in righteousness,
reap in mercy;

break up your fallow ground:

for it is time to seek the LORD,
till He come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:12


Now, there's a January verse if there ever was one.  Sitting here in front of a crackling fire this evening, I worked for a while on narrating this passage back to myself in my own words, phrase by phrase, slowly.  

"Sow to yourselves... in righteousness..." 
Isn't that what all our resolutions are about?  Changing what we sow to ourselves?  Trying to sow... right?

But it's that bit about fallow ground that really smacks me upside the head.   Fallow ground?  Oh, heavens.  The Lord knows I've got acres of that in my life.  Maybe you do, too?  

Break it up, Hosea cries-- bust up those clods, kiddo.  The rain is coming, and you'll want to be ready to soak up every drop.

So this is January Verse #1 for me.  Think I'll fetch my red dry-erase marker and go scrawl it on my bathroom mirror now.


Every resolution kept is another clod busted.        

4 comments:

Bonnie said...

Do yo know Kathleen Norris' poem from Jeremiah of
the breaking up that fallow ground? (Jer. 4:3)It is in The Cloister Walk, more her experience that birthed the poem.

"As I take my spade in hand, as far as I can see, great clods of earthare waiting, heavy and dark, a hopeless task. First weeds will come, then whatever it is I planted....: ( from The Cloister Walk, p. 32)

Bonnie said...

Do yo know Kathleen Norris' poem from Jeremiah of
the breaking up that fallow ground? (Jer. 4:3)It is in The Cloister Walk, more her experience that birthed the poem.

"As I take my spade in hand, as far as I can see, great clods of earthare waiting, heavy and dark, a hopeless task. First weeds will come, then whatever it is I planted....: ( from The Cloister Walk, p. 32)

Laurie said...

Dry-erase marker on the bathroom mirror... what a great idea!

rachel tsunami said...

this will go on our massive white board. i don't yet know what color marker i'll use.