Algae
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
It’s February and we have a pond with algae. We always get algae, maybe three times a season and usually not this early. It must be treated in one way or another, or the algae will consume the lake. Sometimes we hope for the wind and rain to handle it, but, when taken root, it becomes stubborn and won’t go away without treatment.
In all the years I’ve taken pictures of the lake, this might be the first picture I took of the algae. After all, why would I want to show or keep a picture of an imperfect lake? Wouldn’t it be better to just wait till the algae is gone?
It takes a lot of work to keep the lake looking beautiful. Every season it takes hours of weed eating and lawn mowing around it. We are thankful for the help we have to take care of it. Sometimes, though, I feel pressure to keep it to some certain level of perfection. Anything that we hold as beautiful takes work and discipline to achieve. Honestly, it would be great if we just went down to enjoy the beauty of the lake without any of the required work. I will say, though, as I looked at the lake with algae in February, it was a beautiful, welcome, site. It meant a glimpse into spring. I felt no pressure. I saw only the beauty, algae and all.
I think in our own lives, we are all a work in progress. We have seasons of “algae” that need treated. Maybe we feel a little pressure to show our best selves at every moment, as if there was never any algae. I’m thankful we have a God who sees our algae and still loves us. In fact, He sees the algae as beautiful because it’s a peak into what is ahead. He loves the before treatment picture and loves the after-treatment picture just as much. Like the lake, though, it’s never finished. As soon as the grass is cut or the algae is treated, it begins to grow again.
God doesn’t need our unsustainable perfection. He loves us so much He died to save us. He wants our time in his word and with church family. He also wants us to use our talents to serve Him, algae and all. Who knows? Maybe we can better help someone because of our times of algae?
Lord, I give you me, algae and all. Use every bit of me however you’d like to your glory.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8