Ed, my neighbour next door, has observed that I have gone wacko this year in my garden. "The front part of your garden is straw littered and the back part was planted way too soon. On May 16, you started planting and didn't stop until the 21st when you put out tomato plants way too early," Ed said. "You can hardly see your cabbages and onions for the straw. Never heard of potatoes growing in straw either," Ed elaborated.
"I guess I read one too many western novels. I turned into an outlaw gardener. Gambling wildly, I bet the seeds will grow, even if they're planted early. I let go and became a Maverick covering half my garden with straw, not just my strawberries. I refused to use a string to make straight rows. Turning my back on neat and orderly, I decided that this year anything goes," I told Ed.
Ed remained silent so I continued.
"My outlaw trail didn't stop at the garden. I strapped on several bottles of Killex, WeedEx and Total WipeOut, hunting down every no good dandelion I could find in my lawn. I shot those varmints with spray to kill them dead. I shot them in the back, the front, the side and in their nasty yellow faces without mercy. I ignored their taunting words, 'You can kill us, but you'll have no lawn left and our relatives will be out to get you - just wait and see,'" I continued to Ed.
Before Ed could leave muttering that I had gone plumb loco and the spray from the herbicides had affected my mind, I threw another wild story at him.
"Soon there could be a wanted poster on me for killing dandelions. I just read an article in the Leader-Post entitled 'Dandelions a Potential Source of Rubber,'" but Ed cut me off by leaving before I could get into the details.
"You're just too crazy to listen to," he sneered as he headed for his garage.
"Some years I'm like that," I muttered as he left.
Sometimes we can amuse others, sometimes we can impress them, sometimes we can help them see a potential never dreamed of, and sometimes they just see us as too wacky to take seriously. Sometimes we can only speak of what we know to be the way of truth for us personally and hope our words will be received as truth for those hearing them.
When it comes to the Bible, some, like my neighbour Ed, see it as just another book which one can take or leave. For many of us, Holy Scripture, or the Bible, is God's word and truth. It makes the truth of Jesus Christ known. All Scripture is God-breathed, meaning its origin is not with men, but men spoke as they were carried along by God. The scriptures testify about Jesus that we might believe in Him, the Son of God, and by believing have life in his name.
Ed did not want to hear Ford Motor Co. and the Ohio State University hope to begin making dandelion rubber on a commercial scale within the next few years. As amazing as this seems, much more impressive is the truth that God loves us and forgives us in Jesus Christ His Son as the Bible tells us so.
