Lessons Learned from My Garden

You know how too many days of being snowed into your own home can make you a little stir crazy? On these days my mind has a little more freedom to wander, and that's when it comes up with most of my "great" ideas. After the first four or so months last year of blizzarding and -30 degree temperatures that kept me isolated to my small South Dakota home, one of these ideas came to me. I decided to take up gardening.

I still don't know why that appealed to me. I tend to be a plant-killer.

But sure enough, March finally rolled around (still complete with snow and sub-zero temps) and I embarked on my new project.

I bought a few seed packets (only a few, because they would probably all die anyway) of vegetables (if I'm going to go through the work of growing a plant, it may as well produce something for me to eat). I picked up some little pots and troughs and some potting soil. And I set to work. Much to my excitement, after several days the seeds actually started to grow!

Not only that, but they kept on growing! I visited my little plants every day (they had taken up residence in my spare room) and turned their little pots every once in a while to make them reach for the sun and get stronger.

Eventually, the weather warmed up enough to transplant them outside. So in May, they upgraded to the world of grown-up plants. This was hard for me. They were so little and fragile, and here I had subjected them to longer hours in the sun, harsh winds, and bugs that could eat all of them in a single night. Each day I checked up on them, watered them, and made sure they looked comfortable.

Long saga short, my little plants kept growing. So much so that the tomatoes outgrew their cages and I had to add extensions. Finally, at long last, the plants started to produce fruit. Ever so slowly the green tomatoes grew bigger until finally a few of them began to turn red. The squash plants tried repeatedly to make squash, but many did not make it. Finally, a couple began to grow and did not die. Even the peppers began producing until finally they were ready to take off the plant.

At long last, I had my first harvest.

Reminds me of 1 Corinthians 3:7:

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

I worked as hard as I knew how. I talked to my plants, touched them, encouraged them with Miracle Grow once in a while, pulled stray weeds out of their way, and prayed over them. Yes, I prayed over my plants because I didn't trust myself to keep them alive past the first week.

Ultimately, there was nothing I could do to make the seeds I planted grow into plants. I did my best to prepare the way for them to be strong and healthy. But only God could bring them up past the soil and grow them to the point of harvest. And it wasn't a process that happened overnight. No, it took many months and lots of patience before any fruit was evident.

So it goes in our lives. Maybe we have unsaved friends we are trying to minister to. Or maybe we're waiting for a harvest in our own lives. We put forth many hours of hard work, preparing the soil, planting and watering the seeds, and praying over them for a fruitful growth and harvest. We do everything we can to produce healthy and vibrant plants.

But God makes the seeds grow. In His time, He brings forth a harvest. It may take many months or even years of patience and faith on our part, trusting Him to bring this about. He is faithful. And we must be diligent in our gardening, for the harvest will reflect our preparation.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galations 6:9