MARCH

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The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. 

- Numbers 6:24-26 


Last year my sweet cousin (sister to the one mentioned in February's post) came to visit me during the initial stages of my recovery.  She brought me a pink lady plant.  This opened up a whole new hobby for me in plant keeping.  After having this happy little plant in my window for several months, I soon noticed a mushroom!



Until that little guy popped up, I really didn't know that much about mushrooms.  So when I noticed this guy in my pot, I did a little research.  Essentially what I found was this:
  • It was likely a leucocoprinus birnbaumil or a similar variation
  • Toxic to people and animals
  • Not harmful to the plant
  • Breaks down dead organic matter in the soil
From what little I know about plants, the breaking down of organic matter is good for the soil because it then releases things that support life for the plant.  

So how does this relate to red toadstools and our verse in Numbers 6?  Glad you asked :)

After my little research project, every time I see a picture of a mushroom or one in nature- I'm struck with the thought "that is there because of an abundance of nutrients.”  The mushrooms absorb all the extra goodness in the soil & support the life of the plant.

It makes me wonder what “mushrooms” exist in my own life.  What evidences of His extra goodness do I see around me?

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. - Numbers 6:24-26 

This verse is spoken by the Lord through Moses to Aaron & his sons.  They then were to speak it to the people of Israel.  This is one of my favorite blessings in all of the Old Testament.  It speaks of God’s faithfulness & grace to all of us.  Look at what all it says the Lord does:

-He blesses you
-He keeps you
-He makes His face shine on you
-He is gracious to you
-He turns toward you
-He gives you peace

I am guilty of not recognizing God’s grace that is lavished upon me day in and day out.  I wonder if you struggle with that too.  Therefore, I am proposing a “mushroom challenge” for the month of March.  This is not meant to be a legalistic thing, but rather an exercise to help us practice an awareness of the “mushrooms” (extravagant graces) in our lives.  

Daily "Mushroom" Challenge

Each day during the month of March, write down one evidence you’ve seen or experienced of God’s grace.  This does not have to be something big.  In fact, it may be more of a challenge if you want to intentionally look for things some would consider "small."  Some suggestions to get you started could be: clean water, a blanket, trees outside the window, etc.

After you write it down, take 60 seconds to pause & offer up a prayer of thanksgiving to the One who gives all good & perfect gifts.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places - Ephesians 1:3

To help you keep up with your mushrooms...er...I mean blessings, I created a document using canva.com.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 2, 2023 at 7:03 AM

    Thanks for sharing this! What a fun way to view ordinary old mushrooms!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 2, 2023 at 12:37 PM

    Watching Spring unfold from my sunroom windows. Grace and beauty are all around me. Eileen

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 19, 2023 at 6:09 AM

    I so needed this reminder and gentle nudge to notice the extra abundances in my everyday. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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