Honey it's Time to Gird the Himrods

Isn't there a verse somewhere that talks about girding your loins?

"Stand therefore having your loins gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness: Eph. 6:14

I need a definition of that funny word before I can talk about himrods
1. to encircle or bind with a belt or band
2. to surround or enclose
3. to prepare oneself for action
4. to provide or equip as with power or strength

Totally! Don't you see it all makes sense now!

I think of girding your loins with truth as a perfect picture of definition #4. We get ourselves prepared, we know the truth, we seek the truth, we want to live the truth every day. We can't go out into the world and know what we stand on, what we believe, why we live the way we do, unless we are equipped with truth. The truth permeates every spot of our being, and exudes out our pores. So what is your truth? Your absolute that you know if nothing else in life matters, you can hold fast to that one truth? In our world that now touts no absolutes (which is an absolute all on its own), there is a longing for something real, autheniticity, feelings and experiences of truth and realness, but yet to turn to some age old "religion" or set of beliefs is stifling. So contrary to " you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free"!!!!!!!! Freedom!
Now don't ask me why it's our loins we are girding. Maybe there's a good reason for that being the chosen spot. Maybe it's like a girdle keeping all the parts in the right places :) I think the NIV version calls it a "belt of truth". So then definition #2 makes all the sense in the world. We can have anything in life going on, but if it isn't encircled with truth, then what's the point? If someone tells you a lie, it seems to defeat everything else they are in that moment. It makes everything else about them seem like a pretense, even if only that one small part of their word was a lie. Truth is the surrounding factor, preparing us for action!

So what does this have to do with himrods?? Well it's time to gird them! Himrods are my favorite variety of grapes. They are lovely cross breed making a crisp, green, seedless grape perfect for fall eating. When we first moved here we happened across the most wonderful grape farmer, I wouldn't call him a vineyard owner, though he is, he's more of a farmer and only grows table grapes not wine varieties. He is a lovely older gentleman who we visit many times every Sept. After trying all his varieties, in our 3rd or so year here we planted a himrod. It's not doing so well because I don't know anything about growing good grapes and mostly like the effect of the vines over my shed. I haven't taken the time to learn or give it prime conditions, but then we wouldn't get to go visit Bert. Last year, Bert told Kevin that you must gird your himrods for better production. Right about now it's time, to "encircle them with a band" around the vine just above the fruit. You actually use a tool that strips away the bark around the vine so that the nutrients stop at the fruit and don't continue on to the leafy parts. "So come on over and borrow my tool so you can properly gird them, and I'll show you how. Just watch for me out in the fields." I guess it's time for a walk....

(not my himrods)