Lessons from the Prairie...Part 2

This is another flower in the prairie. They're not near in abundance as the Maximillian sunflowers, and I don't remember their name, but they smell good. Like, really, really good.

In fact, I tried to pick one so I could have my apartment smelling all nice & fragrant, but there were a ridiculous amount of bees, wasps, and other insects all over it. Soooo obviously I didn't take it. But this clearly shows how good smelling these flowers are!

Editors note: You might notice in the picture that there aren't any bugs, but this was a week or two after and they no longer had a fragrance. Just sayin'...

Anyway, you may be aware that Iowa is quite breezy. And I'm sure that those of us who are aware have mixed feelings about that fact. BUT if it wasn't for the wind, I'd never be able to smell the wonderful fragrance of these flowers. I'm definitely not going to stick my nose by one that's covered in bees! So the winds do a splendid job of blowing the fragrance for me to enjoy. I suppose if these flowers had any mind of their own, they would prefer for the winds blowing on them to be nice and gentle and warm and refreshing all the time. But as for me--the one walking through the prairie--I'm okay with the big gushes of wind that blow the plant halfway over and are maybe even a bit cold. Whatever it takes for the full effect of the fragrance to reach my nostrils for me to enjoy!

And now cue in the actual "lesson from the prairie" If you've read some my previous posts, you'll recall that I've talked about us being each individual gardens for our Beloved to walk in and enjoy just like He did in the Garden of Eden. The bride in Song of Songs 4 says to her Bridegroom:

Awake, north wind,

    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,
    that its fragrance may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits.

How much enjoyment is Jesus getting from your garden? That's what tasting choice fruits means. Have you ever realized that YOU are His inheritance? How much of His inheritance--your heart--is He receiving from you? Don't just scan over these sentences. Really think about it & ask Holy Spirit to reveal how much. How much do you want Him to have? Tell Him that, too. He knows already, but it's good to communicate.:)

I was reading a book today that just so happened to talk about Song of Songs 4, and I loved the way that the author put it:

    When we can ask for both winds--His dealings and His blessings--we are saying to Jesus, "If You love me so much, I know it's safe to be Yours. I deeply trust You. I'm not afraid of difficult circumstances. You do not give anything that takes away real life. You have guarded my every step." 
    We can trust our Beloved absolutely. Therefore, we are not afraid to pray this prayer: "I love You, Jesus. I want all my immaturity to be gone. I want my heart to be yoked with Your heart. Your inheritance in me is the most important thing in my life. Therefore, awake, O north wind!" 
    The bride says, "Make my garden breathe out fragrance...May my beloved come into His garden and eat its choice fruits." She wants her beloved to get His full inheritance from her life. 

I couldn't say it better myself, so I'll leave it with that. :) From this day on, I hope that every time you smell something that's so pleasing to you--whether it's flowers, a bonfire, vanilla lotion, or pork chops--that your thoughts become a prayer for Jesus to send north & south winds that blow the pleasing fragrance of your heart for Him to enjoy & receive His full inheritance in you.