Rhoddies, Roots and Replanting

Today I purchased some Rhododendrons for my year from a local grower.  As I was planting one in my yard, I was reminded of just how tough it is to break through the turf and soil to get a hole dug that is big enough to accommodate the plant.  I have several of these plants around my yard and try to get one or two more additions every other year or so.  The beautiful blooms are a wonderful addition to my yard and the pop of color is awesome!  


Sometimes in my life, my heart is much like the ground I was working with today.  The moss and grass was tough to break through and then the root of some of the adjacent trees were fighting to stay in place.  Isn't that a lot like a human heart?  Something beautiful is ready to be planted, but oh how the roots of my sinful nature cling to the soil and fight to stay in place!  With a little persistence, my shovel was able to take out what was needing to be taken out to form a whole that something beautiful was soon to fill. 


As I placed the Rhoddy into the hole I had dug, I then began to push the dirt back into the void.  Now, since it has been raining off and on recently, the ground was moist and the dirt was stuck to the root ball of the grass and moss.  As I shook the dirt loose, I was reminded of a time in my life in which the Lord wanted to plant something beautiful in my heart by having me prayerfully look at each aspect of what was in there, sort it out, get rid of what is not needed and replace what is necessary along with the new "thing" He wanted to grow in me.  I pushed the dirt back around the plant and filled in the remaining areas of the hole I had planted it in.  As I stood back and looked at the Rhododendron in its new home, I was picturing a what it will look like in a few years when it grows and begins to flower.  The purplish-blue flowers are going to look awesome when blooming next to the yellow flowers of the adjacent Rhoddy.  


After planting my first Rhoddy today, I began to dig a whole for the second of the three I pick out today.  As I jumped on my rusty shovel, I heard a loud "snap!" and must now purchase a new one in order to dig the two remaining holes.  Below is a picture of the type of plant I purchased today.  Mind you, mine is much smaller at this point in time and has no flowers. :)  BUT, some day, in about 10 years it will look a lot like this.