Month: August 2025

My heart sank.

As I cut back the overgrown, woody salvia, I found a rose bush. Or, to be precise, the remains of a rose bush. The wood was dry and brittle. It was long gone.

I love my roses. How had this happened?

Incremental growth

How did the salvia take over the space needed for the rose bush to flourish?

It happened incrementally. The salvia spread. I enjoyed its bright ‘hot lips’ blooms. I hated to cut it back and hence decapitate those gorgeous flowers. At some point, probably in winter when the rose bush had been cut right back, the salvia took over.

I didn’t notice.

And the rose bush died from lack of sunlight.

‘Good’ but not ‘best’

Salvia is good. It is hardy, which is necessary if plants are to flourish in my oft-neglected backyard. It is bright. It attracts the bees. It ticks all the boxes for a long-term place in my backyard.

But it needs to be kept in its place. I had let it spread and take over that section of the garden.

Roses are best. In my opinion, at least. I enjoy their bright blooms. They, too, are reasonably hardy, though need a little plant food at times and a hard prune in autumn. I can manage that.

A lesson from the backyard

Life is somewhat like a competition between salvia and rose bushes. Both have a place in my backyard. But if I am not careful, the ‘good’ takes up space and restricts sunlight needed for the ‘best’ to flourish.

My life is rich in relationships, and my days are filled with meaningful activities. However, I can easily lose focus of that which is ‘best’ and fill my days with that which is ‘good.’ That’s not to say that there is no place for the ‘good.’ Of course there is a place for it, but I must keep my focus on that which is ‘best.’

And now the rubber hits the road … or, I should say, the pruning shears hit the salvia. I sit at my desk surrounded by clutter. My task list on today’s page in the planner glares at me in an accusing manner. My Chinese textbook sits to the left of the computer. My journal (in which I brainstormed this post) sits on top of the text book. An outline of a devotion for a church diaconate meeting tonight is also in that journal. My iPad lights up, alerting me to news of major world events … events about which I care but which do not need my attention right now. (Or at all, really.) My phone flashes with a WeChat message. (WeChat is how I communicate with Chinese friends, while Australian friends often use WhatsApp or Signal … they are all on my phone.) Instructions from a physiotherapist sit against the edge of the desk to remind me to do certain exercises. A folder with my college project proposal and feedback report sit to the right of the computer. Not on the desk are items representing a myriad of other priorities in life.

A Fresh Start

Today, I planted a new rose bush in the garden. I cut back the salvia a few days ago and plan to keep it under control this time. I like the salvia, but want the rose to be the main feature in that part of the garden. The salvia can stay in the part of the garden bed that doesn’t get enough sunlight for roses to flourish.

In life, too, I don’t want the ‘good’ to crowd out the ‘best’ any more. Right now, the college work needs to take priority. That’s not to say that the other items which fill my days should be cut out. No, they are good and they have a place in my life. But sometimes … often, in fact … they need to be cut back. I need to be intentional about where I spend my time.

Writing this blog post is my way of processing what I believe God is asking of me. Tomorrow, I will meet with my academic supervisor to talk through the feedback from a panel of experts on my research proposal. Following that, I need to incorporate the feedback into the proposal and submit it to the next level of academic gatekeepers, before some planned travel next month. God, in his kindness, is reminding me through backyard shenanigans involving the demise of a rose bush that I need to keep my focus on ‘the main thing.’

Conclusion

I need to keep my focus clear, and ensure that the ‘good’ doesn’t crowd out the ‘best.’

In fact, that’s true for all of us, don’t you think?

P.S. Her Feline Highness wishes to remind one and all that SHE is ‘the best.’ Thankfully, she is happy for me to sit at the computer and prefers having me nearby rather than running off here and there, so it’s all good.

I usually have plenty to say.

Rarely am I lost for words. 

That’s partly because I don’t wait until my thoughts are complete before giving them voice. In fact, I process my thoughts through speaking and/or writing. 

My thoughts are often scattered. Words follow in a less-than-orderly form. It’s okay to be a verbal processor. But others need not wade through a wealth of words in order to grasp the main point.

“You need to tighten up your work,” academic advisors said yesterday. 

I know. And it is not only in academic writing that I am challenged. Blog posts should be short and sweet too. 

There is a place for wordiness. In writing, it’s called ‘a first draft’ or ‘a journal entry’. But it’s not what should appear on a blog post or even in an e-mail, let alone in an academic paper.  

A timely challenge

I have said many times throughout my life that I want to be a writer. And writers write. 

This would-be-writer, however, frequently becomes overwhelmed at the idea of pinning down thoughts that dart left, right, up, down, backwards and forwards. It’s difficult to consolidate them into coherent and concise forms. 

I know a writer who posts one blog entry each week. Two days ago, I responded to something she had written. In the process, we had an insightful discussion about blogging. I’m tempted to veer into a rabbit trail of the specifics of all we discussed. It was actually very interesting, but if I indulged in that tangent, I’d lose sight of the main point. 

What is the main point? It is that this writer disciplines herself to produce one short, to-the-point, blog post every week.

She explained that this discipline helps her to tighten up her writing. Through ‘having to’ produce regular posts, she also notices better, as well as thinks through what God is showing her. She becomes ‘light and salt’ on the internet. She, like me, naturally tends towards wordiness, but forces herself to be concise in her blog posts. 

Readers, including me, me are blessed. 

And I’m inspired. 

And so……

Sometimes a particular theme keep cropping up in life. This week, it is the theme of concise writing. 

First, there was the exchange with that writer-friend which began a couple of days ago. Then there was yesterday’s academic feedback about ‘tightening up’ a research proposal. Today there was a brief discussion in a break during an online academic writing session on deleting extraneous detail in our work.  

Is this challenge to write succinctly and communicate clearly something from God for my particular circumstances? Or is it just something that I’m noticing this week?

Does it have to be one or the other? God or ‘just me’? No. It can be both. It IS both. (And I’m verbally processing in written form … again.) 

It’s a discipline to communicate succinctly and in a way that is a pleasing to the eye. It’s a discipline to produce short, to-the-point, pieces of writing on a regular basis. It’s a discipline to wrangle all-over-the-place thoughts and force them into some sort of order. 

This blog is a good place to practise. If any of my family and friends benefit from reading along, good and well. 

Watch this space.