Psalm 11:

4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
his eyes examine them.
5 The Lord examines the righteous,
but the wicked, those who love violence,
he hates with a passion.
6 On the wicked he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.
New International Version (NIV)

GOD has once again tested me good and proper. It was Wednesday, August 11th, 2021 and I will only be able to collect my thoughts properly on Shabbat today.

My wife and I own a garden pond that we really enjoy. But there is a «Pièce de Résistance» for which I am responsible, a patch of reeds that I created years ago against my wife’s will.

Since Ursula takes care of the garden, the pond is also her responsibility. After she complained to me that she could no longer fight the reeds, I took it over of course. I had no idea what was in store for me.

In a good mood I went to work, convinced to show the reeds who is the boss. With plastic sandals on my feet, I waded into the water. The good mood quickly evaporated when I noticed how incredibly tight the fine roots are intertwined. It is practically a coherent “carpet” approx. 10 cm thick, which I loosened from below with a pimple; a grueling job that made me sweat. I also missed a cutting tool; a “Wolf” brand secateurs had no strength and pruning shears only brought tufts of roots to the surface. When I got back in with the second tool, I lost my balance in the shallow place and landed roughly on my buttocks.

My will wasn’t broken yet and I didn’t give up. I pulled up what I could grab by hand, especially the thick, white “distance roots”. The breaks became shorter and shorter until I finally gave up inside.

The first goal was a stone to stand next to the house wall. But I did not achieve this goal. I was hindered as if by invisible forces. For me the public prosecutor of God (Satan) is not an empty word and I pushed myself against him with the last of my strength. I landed on my butt twice more. After the second time, I sat in the water for a long time to recharge my strength.

I was astonished that the contents of my wallet were not completely soaked. While cleaning out, I discovered a long-missing wash card for my car.

And the moral of the story?

God doesn’t make mistakes. With HIM there are no coincidences and I absolutely want to do my will in the future in order to do his absolute will.

While looking for a suitable cutting tool, I came across a serrated kitchen knife with a 17 cm long blade that I had never used before. This blade will act like a saw for the roots. My next planned appointment is Monday, August 16, 2021. By then my sore muscles should be largely over.