Dear Family,
Because my garden is perennial, it produces more than I need. I enjoy selling plants and sometimes giving
them away. As we were digging, one buyer
asked, “What have you learned from gardening?”
This question got me
thinking. In honor of earth day, I’ll share the lessons I have
learned. There are so many lessons we
know about in our heads, but they have
taken root in my heart when I experience them year after year:
You reap what you sow. I admit I like to get a good deal. I bought an apple tree on clearance and was
happy to get fruit I kind of like – not
my favorite, but it was a good
price. Eight
years later regret that decision. I have
a tree full of apples I kind of like. I could have a peach tree or apples I love, but no, I chose the cheapest. Now that it’s a tree we can climb I’m not
going to chop it down. This lesson makes
me think of decisions made early in life.
Pivotal decisions like “What will my job be?” or “Who will I
marry?” These decisions need more
thought than, “Which way is easiest or the best price?” The pivotal decisions need prayer, deep
thought, reading books about the subject, asking advice, prayer and did I
mention – prayer?
Take care of problems, don’t
bury them. I used to bury all compost in my yard at random places. I was burying apple cores from the tree I kind
of liked. Months later up comes a
stick. I didn’t know what the plant was
so I cut it down. The tree grew again, and I cut it down again. The third time I just left the tree to see
what it was and what do you know!? I
have two apple trees. The baby tree may
be a branch since I cut it down so many times.
This 4-foot tree/branch produces so much
fruit it can’t hold it’s arms up.
This reminds me of sin. If we try to bury sin, it may grow into a tree all by its self. I didn’t water or tend that compost pile, but I did bury a lot of seeds there.
There are seasons of marriage
and life. One year I felt called to rest
from gardening. It was the actual year
of jubilee, and after some study I
figured I would stop watering, pruning and harvesting to store. We did
harvest snacks for the day. Some I gave
to neighbors or the church. The rest
went to the ground as fertilizer. In my
journal before this year, I mention how
much trouble watering, weeding and pruning were. The year I
stopped watering there were fewer weeds and less to prune. Hmmmm.
Also, because I didn’t prune back the raspberries
at all, there was fruit even in
December! From this year I learned that
I don’t have to be hypervigilant about the garden. I also felt the analogy went to life and
marriage as well. I can rest in family
life as well. For a time I can let the
kids get away with not weeding or let my honey ignore the honey-do list.
It’s OK, we all need to rest sometimes.
Pruning is a good thing even if
it feels like you are losing an arm. When I prune, I
am pretty vicious. I’ll pull up entire plants if they are too
close to each other. I’ll cut off many
branches, and it’s OK. Pruning
forces the plant to grow differently.
This fact of life helped me when someone else pruned me in
ministry. I was asked to move out of
working in AWANA. I could have gotten
frustrated and hurt, but instead, I decided to take this as God pruning
me. It was time to help with the youth group instead. God knows exactly
what is needed when. Also, I can
work more on the Library. Having more
time to do library work is truly enjoyable.
I am glad to be working in the ministries
God has for me.
Sin is
natural and just happens. Every time I weed I think of sin. I can ignore
weeds, but they may take over. Sin is the same way. I may want to let things go for a while, but all sin leads to death just like letting
weeds go, leads to the death of a garden.
Overeating leads to obesity which can kill. Free sex leads to disease or murder if you
look it that way. Laziness can lead to
poverty etc. Weeding reminds me that I
need to ask God daily,
“23Search me, God, and know
my heart;
test
me and know my anxious thoughts.
24See if there is any
offensive way in me,
and
lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps 139:23-24.
Every
day I need to confess, contemplate and realign with God.
Even though I hate some parts of gardening, I do enjoy the fruits and selling. God blesses me with plants, wisdom and the
laws of the harvest. My family also
blesses me.
Bobby has been home enough this week to cook several times, and I enjoy the whole family being together. Seth even went back for seconds. Bobby was so pleased that Seth thought the food was good. Seth’s response was, “Dad, your food is always good. I just don’t always like it.” I like that response – it reminds me of God and his gifts. They are always good, BUT we don’t always like them.
Bobby was very kind to take my suggestion about cooking a certain dish to get rid of lettuce. I love that we can work together that way.
Bobby was glad to be able to get workers to cover his Wednesday night Youth Group so he could attend Adriel’s concert. I am glad he likes going to see her.
Seth mowed the lawn this week, and I am so glad he’s so big and strong. He is taller than Bobby and I and still growing.
Adriel cleaned out her room this week and drew another drawing. I love that she can make beautiful drawings without too much effort.
I am blessed because, in our home, there is peace most of the time. There is health for the most part, and we are making an effort to put God at the center of all we do. May you find peace in all you also do. Much Love,
Cristy
No comments:
Post a Comment