LESSONS FROM THE POLLEN

It’s April the 2nd, and here in the south that means one thing. The pollen is out. I don’t know if it’s the same in your neck of the woods, but here in central Alabama, everything is yellow. Our cars are covered in a yellow coat of pollen. My front porch (and everything on it) is now thick with yellow dust. Even if you couldn’t see the pollen on every single thing, you would know it has arrived just by listening to Harold. 

Or Amy.

Or Griffin.

Or suddenly…after almost 72 years - ME! I seem to have developed the seasonal allergies that have plagued my family for years.  Last weekend, I found myself with the allergy symptoms that are so common: runny nose, facial congestion, sneezing, coughing, and itchy, watery eyes.

The bed cover on the back of Harold's truck is covered with pollen.

Harold has always had bad allergies. He takes allergy medication every single day; allergy season or not. Amy inherited the bad allergy trait from her daddy. Griffin may have it worse than any of them. Bless his heart, this time of year has always been brutal for him. When he was growing up, there was nothing that we could do to help him. Amy and Shawn tried every kind of medication on the market. The only thing that gave him any kind of relief was when Amy learned about an essential oil remedy. She would use grapeseed oil as a carrier oil, and add lemon, peppermint, and lavender oils to a glass roller ball. Griffin would apply this concoction to his throat, on his chest, and even under his nose. I promise you it worked better than anything. Let me tell you, if it’s spring time, you won’t catch Griffin without one of his oil roller ball bottles. He still uses them to this day. 

The makings of Griffin's "allergy bomb" rollers.

It is my job to be on social media, so I see a lot of what people post. I recently noticed a lot of posts about the pollen this year. I have even commented about how bad it is. Wouldn’t you know, God used something as silly as pollen to teach me a lesson?

Just last night I was about to type something about how much I disliked the pollen on my porch, and God spoke to me. Now before you ask me, I didn’t hear an audible voice. I just felt Him speaking to my heart. He said, “Sue, you can look at it as a nuisance, or you can choose to see it a different way. You need to look for the good.” 

What? It’s POLLEN. What in the world is good about the pollen?

This is one of the chair covers on my wicker chair. I moved the cushion away and look at the pollen outline!

Well, for one thing, pollen means that it’s spring time. Spring is my favorite time of the year. Spring means new growth, working in my yard, planting flowers. Springtime is when Shawn and I get the garden ready to plant. Spring is what we look forward to after the doldrums of winter. Another good thing about the pollen is that it makes the flowers grow. Without pollen, there wouldn’t be any new growth. Like my pastor Jason Allums says, “that will preach.” Isn’t that just like our walk with God? We have to go through some difficult times in order to grow. In the grand scheme of things, our temporary discomfort is okay when we enjoy a beautiful spring day, work in our growing flowers, and see the earth come alive again after a cold winter.

God used something as silly as me wanting to complain about pollen to teach me a lesson. He’s good like that. He is always wanting to speak to us. All we have to do is listen.

How is the pollen where you live? Do you have seasonal allergies like my people do? What do you do for them? Leave me a comment and let me know. The pollen isn’t going anywhere, so we might as well help each other learn to live with it. I know that when I see my yellow-dusted car today, I won’t complain like I might have yesterday. I am going to say, “Thank you, God for the pollen. I know it will bring the flowers soon.”

“See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19