The Sandspur

Nothing trumps the tenacity of the sandspur.  The first one must have overheard what the Creator God said to the Garden of Eden couple and thought it was meant for it, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth..."  (Genesis 1:28).  It recreates itself wherever it falls to the ground.  But, it is also a great traveler.  Aside from beggar lice, nothing travels so quietly with such tenacity.  The other day after picking all the sandspurs off my work clothes, I washed them, threw them in the dryer, folded them and put them in the drawer.  A few days later as I was walking across the farm, I kept feeling like something was in my boot.  When I looked, I found a single sandspur imbedded in the fabric of my clean washed and dried sock.   

 

I wonder if there were sandspurs in Israel when Jesus walked the land.  Probably not.  Had there been, He surely would have used it as an object lesson for some teaching as He did the mustard seed or the birds of the air.  What a great teaching on prayer He might have offered as He said, "Consider the tenacity of the sandspur."  But, as I have ruminated all day on the lowly sandspur, I have found myself thinking about the way I approach my spiritual life.  Too often it is more careless than determined.  Certainly, I could learn much from the tenacious sandspur.

Think about it for a moment.  Chew on the image of the lowly sandspur and think about the way we walk with Jesus.  The sandspur speaks volumes to us about sticking to what we have set out to do.  It quietly finds a place on the journey and never considers letting go.  I have been walking with Jesus for a life time, but as I carried the sandspur in my heart today, I realized again and again that I have miles and miles to go.  The only way I will make it is to grab hold of the Holy Spirit, or maybe I should say, let the Holy Spirit grab hold of me, and never let go.