I have always wanted to garden on a regular basis. I started with just potted flowers a few years back - mixing and matching different flowers for the front porches. Some ended poorly (especially the ones this year), and some of them bloomed longer than I expected. Either way, it isn't about the flower for me. It's about getting my hands dirty and about watching a rainbow of colors grow together to make a 3D picture.
We took the plunge this year and decided to have an actual vegetable/fruit garden. It was definitely going to be a financial investment and some buckets full of sweat (mostly my husband's - not mine).
*You can read more about the specifics of our garden and some newbie tips and tricks later!*
This little garden has been quite the teacher. I've learned some hard work, some frustration, and some disappointment. Allow me to hop in my English pants for a bit and share some life-lesson metaphors that my garden has showed to me.
Prickly Things
Even if you're not a gardener, you know what the worse part of a garden is - those unwanted guests - the weeds! They do NO help to your garden; they only hurt. Yet, they demand the most of your gardening time. They suck the life out your life-giving decliciousness. Worst part is you can't even see them ringing their hands in evil strategy. All of a sudden, they're huge. If you don't deal with them properly, they will destroy what you've worked so hard for.
I can't imagine how Adam felt the first time he actually had to pull a weed out of his garden. I especially can't stand those thorny ones. If I touch one (even with gloves on), I get white welts on my hands and pain worse than a shot. All those nasty weeds came from the sin. It was Adam's fault. God told him that one of His responses to sin was that "thorns and thistles [the ground] shall bring forth for you" (Genesis 3:18). Maybe, under his breath when he was working, he'd often mumble, "How could I be so stupid?"
Not only are these weeds dangerous for my garden, but they're just plain annoying. There's not a day that goes by that I don't have to deal with at least a few. Weeds are an unpleasant consequence of the curse, but they easily remind me of my own sin.
Romans 3:23 reminds us that every single one of us have sinned against God's standards.
- My sin sucks the life from my Christian life.
- My sin is totally against my relationship with God.
- My sin causes me pain.
- My sin has to be dealt with every single day of my life.
Wait a Minute
In Vermont, we don't start planting until Memorial Day weekend. The first thing that popped up was the lettuce. I was so excited! We'd grown our first successful plants! Yeah... then nothing came. I wondered if something was wrong since I'd never done this before, but more knowledge gardeners assured me that they were waiting just as long as I was. Oh sure, there's some special plant food I can give the little dears to grow faster, but it still takes a process.
Patience is difficult. Actually, it can be a monster if it wants to be. It can cause anxiety or even depression if it rages and snarls its teeth.
- Psalm 37:7 - Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices! - Psalm 27:14 - Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Singin' in the Rain
I despise being wet - like literally hate it. I can deal with going to the pool, but I honestly don't enjoy it very much. I especially despise when it starts to rain. I'm either going to get my shoes wet or my feet or my hair or something. Sometimes, I'll take an extra set of clothes with me somewhere if I plan enough ahead of time.
But boy, I've changed my perspective about rain since having a garden! I can spray that garden all day long with the hose, but there is NOTHING like a really good shower. It's so much fun to check the garden the day after a good rain to see what more grew!! There's always something that sprouted up and is ready to harvest. Chloe's learned that when it rains "that's good for our garden!"
God is slowly teaching me that through the storms, trials, and misfortunes of life - to just enjoy the rain.
- James 1:2 - Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds
- 1 Peter 1:6 - In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials
Sometimes, I think the rain hurts my little plants. I'll visit the garden after a rainfall, and they'll be all lopsided. They always spurt back up, continue to grow, and grow MORE than they would have without the rain. Take that lesson from the plant. What good would my vegetable garden be if the plants resisted rain and refused to grow any more because they didn't want to be beaten down with rain? Instead, they let the rain make them blossom and bloom. God has a perfect design with that storm that you're in, and it's not to end up in a salad - thank goodness.
God created vegetables, fruits, and flowers in such a way to bring us joy, happiness, and contentment in their own way. Likewise, God made us to bring Himself joy, happiness, and contentment in our own way. Our growing will include the weeds of sin, the test of patience, and the throb of raindrops; but the end result is a perfectly ripe... you.
Great analogies!
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