Lessons from My Garden
This year has been a different year for all of us - the pandemic, murders, overt and covert racism, the economy, joblessness, senseless sickness and death, not being able to see our family and friends - all of it has been draining.
I decided to start a garden this year as a way to feed my need for nature and to take my mind off of everything going on in our world - even if only for a little while.
I've really enjoyed everything about my garden so far. I’ve enjoyed planting them, watering and feeding them. I’ve even enjoyed protecting them and watching them grow. They are like my little plant children. I'm really happy to see their growth.
What I didn't understand before starting my first garden was how much work goes into taking care of it. I saw my parents grow vegetables when I was a kid and it seemed easy enough. So I thought, "Hey, you just throw some plants or seeds in the ground, put some water on it and Voila! You’ll have a vegetable garden!" Well, needless to say, there was a whole lot more going on than little Sylvia could understand at the time. Like as an example, I didn't know some plants grow better when you water the soil directly and not over the top of the leaves. Some plants need more sun than others. Each plant needs certain types of nutrients to thrive. Don’t get me started about the pests you have to deal with. I won't geek out about gardening here but let's just say there's really an art (and a science) to gardening. We have to be informed gardeners to get the best results.
This evening I noticed that there were yellow leaves and rotting stems in my garden so I decided to cut those off and prune other areas to spur more growth at the top. While I was doing it, it reminded me thinking about something I learned about gardening.
It is important to remove dead leaves because the plant will continue to try to send energy to those dead areas in an attempt to heal itself. Since that area is completely dead, the valuable energy its expending is wasted. If you leave the decayed leaves too long, the rot will attract harmful bugs and disease. These will try to set into the rest of the plant, decay the good parts and ultimately the plant will die.
I believe we are in a season where it is important to cut off dead things.
Dead things drain our energy and distract us. Dead things can sometimes disguise themselves as things that are nice to do but they aren't what we should do. A dead thing can be something we are doing that's destructive to us physically and spiritually. It can be a mindset the Lord has urged us to move on from. Like a good gardener, we have to be brave and cut them off. If we don't, those dead things will cause us to have dis-ease in other areas of our lives that would otherwise be healthy.
The truth is, the energy we spend on DEAD THINGS WON'T PRODUCE LIFE no matter how hard we try.
Now pruning is another thing. Pruning can be times in our lives where the Lord is requiring us to move on from something we were called to do for a season but it's time to move on to greater things. I believe these things are revealed by Lord as He begins to prune us for growth.
Now, let's be real. Pruning is an uncomfortable word. Pruning feels uncomfortable because we would often prefer not letting go of things that are comfortable right now. The thing is the Master Gardener knows what He has in store for us. (Read 3 John 1:3) In the end, we will produce something more amazing. We will become fruitful in ways that blesses us and others as well. God has plans for our future that will bring us joy and ultimately peace. (Read Jeremiah 29:11)
Water, nutrients and sunshine are just as important to humans as it is to plants. Water and food for us (on a spiritual level) is the Word of God. His presence is the sun we need daily. It's important to spend time connecting to God and hearing from Him. Jesus said it best when he quoted an excerpt from Deuteronomy 8:3. He said, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that's proceeds from the mouth of God" - Luke 4:4
Time with God is life-giving.
"Sunshine" also means taking the moments we need to recharge in the specific ways God created us to. For me, the things that recharges me are nature, quiet time, writing (obviously), singing and being near the water. For you it may be something else entirely. Maybe it's dancing or riding your bike. Maybe its creating music or taking a daily run. We each have that special thing that creates a spark in our lives. The important thing is to recognize what our spark-igniters are and make a concerted effort to do them. These moments are part of our growth. When we do those things consistently it causes us to grow in ways that bring a smile to our Father. Why? Because He made us to enjoy them!
My friends, take a few lessons from my garden today. It's the season to be fruitful in every way. Your fruitfulness pleases the Lord and blesses our world.
Sylvia L Daniels Ray
Author - Love Conversations: Christian Perspectives about Love and Relationships