Lessons from my garden

Working in the garden provides me quiet respite from the stress of the day or week. Sometimes I put on my headphones and listen to worship music, getting lost in the words and the work. Other times I turn the music down or listen to only instrumental hymns so that I can pray. And then there are days like today where I find myself alternating between prayerful thoughts for others, conversation with God and self reflection.

Today's reflection was not unique and the ideas that came to mind have been read and heard from a variety of places but it was a good reminder that I want to be able to come back to for more reflection and maybe it will provide insight for someone else.

Last summer my step-son asked me if growing the garden was a lot of work. My first reaction was no, not at all simply because I don't see it as work. It is something that I enjoy and when you enjoy something it isn't work. However, truth be told it is a lot of work. In order to have a productive garden there is a lot of preparation and ongoing work that must be done in order for the desired plants to flourish and produce their desired crops. In the same way that it takes a lot of work to produce fruit as a Christian. Today's work in my garden consisted of a variety of tasks that as I was praying and reflecting made me think of my own spiritual garden and efforts to become more like Christ.

The green beans, peas and cucumbers need something to climb on and I have created a frame that I attach twine to for them to climb up. I attached the twine for the green beans and peas last weekend. Today I noticed that the bean vines have already grabbed hold of the twine and are winding their way up the pathway I have provided for them. Once they grab hold of that single string they follow it all the way to the top, never diverting from their path. This reminded me of my need to follow the one and only God; the great I Am...to allow nothing to divert me from that focus. I was reminded of the road that Christian walked in the classic story Pilgrim's Progress...I choose to walk the narrow path.

Tomatoes require cages in order to stand upright; they need the support especially as they begin to produce fruit or the weight of the tomatoes may break the stems. The cages reminded me of my own need to have boundaries and support; boundaries that keep me safe and support that helps me to see my progress, the errors I don't see and provide Biblical guidance. Some of those boundaries are of my own design but other I discovered when I read scripture. Even Christ had boundaries: he took time to be alone with God, he made sure to he got nourishment and food, he even stood up to those who tried to push their own agendas on him. Christ demonstrated the use of healthy boundaries that I can follow. He also demonstrated the need for fellowship in His relationships with the disciples.

Plants require nourishment that can come in many forms; I choose to grow organically. I worked organic nutrients (coffee grinds & compost) into my soil last fall in preparation for this spring. In addition, I added new soils and nourishment (bat guano) just before I planted. Some of the plants are already beginning to show signs that they are lacking in a key nutrient even though I did all that prep work. I inspected the plants carefully to determine if  there were pests causing the leaves to turn color or if it was a lack of nutrients. On close inspection I came to the conclusion that it is likely a bit of both. I need to both protect my plants from the pests that want to eat them while also making sure that I am providing the needed nutrients for them to remain healthy. God provides these protection and nourishment for me through His Word and the Holy Spirit. As a believer in Christ I received the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide me as I walk along this narrow path. When the pesky pests of life (fiery darts) come my way I am able to equip myself for battle. (Ephesians 6:10-18) The Word of God says that if I put on the whole Armor of God I can withstand any battle. The Word of God also provides the nourishment I need so that I don't grow weary all while the Holy Spirit guides, comforts and protects me. How do I access these tools? you may wonder. I read the Bible, pray and seek God first; daily.

My last task of the evening was to weed in several places. Some of the weeds came up easily and others required a special weeding tool that allows me to dig down in the dirt right next to the weed and loosed the dirt around the root. When I am patient, take my time and dig deep enough I am able to pull out the weed and its root. This is important because if I don't pull out the root then the weed will grow back within a week or less. This task reminded me of a tool that I used to dig deep to pull out some of the nasty weeds I had in my heart: 12 steps for recovery; and more specifically the 4th step which states that "We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." The purpose of the 4th step is to get to the root of the problem; weed out the negative and replace it with positive. My 4th step included things like digging out anger, resentment and pain caused by events that I had little control over. I also had to look at the part I played in all those and other events. I discovered that I lived most my life in a state of fear. I had to dig deep to get to the bottom of that fear so that I could pull it out and hand it over to God. Sins that had been buried but never confessed still festered beneath the surface and were pulled out and laid at the cross. 

My heart is a garden; God is the master gardener and His Word along with the Holy Spirit guide me as I work daily to produce fruit: love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. (Galatians 5:22-23)

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