I come from several generations of hard working and successful farmers. I have fond memories of helping my great grandmother till the fields to dig up potatoes, watering her beautiful flower garden, riding on the tractor with my uncles, bringing bowls of milk to the farm kittens, and gallivanting around the family farm on a four-wheeler to seek out the peacocks and enjoy all of God's country and creation.
It would seem that planting, gardening, and harvesting should be in my blood. Up until this past summer, I didn't believe I had a green thumb. I somehow managed to kill the easiest of house plants. It got to the point that I "planted" dollar store silk flowers in pots on my front porch to add some summer color to the front of our home. HA!
In fact- I was so successful at my "gardening" skills my elderly neighbor reminded me once that there was an unexpected early frost and that I better bring my beautiful flowers inside that night to keep them alive. Oh man- the comebacks in my head to that one were so great (yet instead I politely nodded, smiled, and brought them inside my garage to amuse her and keep up the ruse).
This past spring I took a family trip to Florida. The flight had those fancy TVs behind each headrest and offered a variety of movies, shows, and masterclasses for entertainment. So me, being the continuous learner that I am, decided to take a master class in... gardening from Ron Finley! Ron is a bit rough around the edges, but is truly inspiring and cares about our communities and the health of our people and environment.
It was during this flight that I had learned that gardening should simply be thought of as a grand experiment. At the end of the day we will learn something. We plant seeds, give them the right kinds of soil and proper sunlight, and tend to them with water, pruning, and weeding as needed. With a little luck and a whole lot of patience we can begin to see our seedlings sprout.
Then with time we must transplant or propagate (split one plant into several tiny plants) so that our plant can fully thrive and grow to it's full potential. Later on we must prune our plants so that they can focus on growing in the right areas and not become susceptible to certain diseases, molds, and bugs.
Eventually our plants bear a flower or two, and then maybe even some fruit awhile after that. For us this year these were tomatoes, cucumbers, snap peas, basil, chives, and many many many marigolds. Too many actually I think. Oops!
This experiment this summer was a joy to me and my children. It was just as fascinating for them as it was for me to plant those tiny seeds, water them daily, watch them sprout, transplant them, then water them daily again for them to grow and grow and then bear fruit. My children were delighted at the first taste of our first tomato, cucumber, snap pea, and basil leaf. So much so that they would often help themselves daily to snacks from our garden and there were hardly any leftover for the dinner table.
In my book- our first garden experiment was a success! We learned so much, enjoyed watching our seedlings grow right before our eyes, and savored the flavors and tastes of our hard work. So much so that our family has been dreaming up what we want to grow next year, how we could expand, and what sort of companion plants we will need to also plant to keep pests at bay. And maybe a few less marigolds while we are at it!
Turns out that green thumb was in me all along. It just needed a little dose of encouragement and a change in perspective!
A few Sunday's ago, during a sermon, my pastor stated "Don't expect a harvest if you aren't willing to plant a seed" -Pastor Peter Haas, Substance Church.
This really struck a chord and had me relating my summer garden to the paths and circumstances of life. Our garden "harvest" (ok, more like daily snacks for my kids) wouldn't of happened if we didn't plant seeds and tend to them daily.
I then began to process the question: where else am I planting seeds? And I am sewing them well? Seeds in my marriage, my children, my family, my workplace, my local church, and my community. What seeds am I planting in these areas? And am I weekly or daily tending to them? Am I watering them? Pruning them? Transplanting and propagating when needed?
If you have ever planted a seed haphazardly, you know that there is such a thing as planting too many seeds. If you plant too many in one spot they will eventually choke each other out - competing for root space, nutrients from the soil, water, and sunlight.
This is very much an analogy for our own lives. Are we putting too many seeds in one place? Or the reverse- are we holding our seeds in our two hands and not planting them anywhere?
We cannot expect a harvest of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control if we are not planting these very seeds ourselves and tending to them.
In simple terms, its a lot like brushing your teeth- you cannot expect a good report from the dentist if you don't put in the work to brush and floss daily.
You cannot expect to see blessings and miracles in your own life if you aren't willing to BE a blessing or BE a part of someone else's miracle.
You cannot expect your life to be filled with ample love, joy, peace, and kindness if you yourself are unwilling or unable to express love, bring someone joy, be a peacemaker, or show random acts of kindness to others.
Its reciprocal - you get what you give. If you give a whole lot, you can probably expect a whole lot of blessings in return. Those who do much with what they are given are blessed and given a harvest.
"A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:7–9).
So what seeds are you already planting? And what seeds are you going to start planting? Life is a lot more fun when we do it together! So let's be ready to roll up our sleeves, get our hands a little dirty, and have some fun watering and playing in the mud!
"You turn graves into gardens,
You turn bones into armies,
You turn seas into highways,
You're the only one who can"