This morning I want to share some lessons from my garden.
When I started out last year as an entrepreneur, I got the distinct feeling that my path would not be one of the hunter, but one of the farmer. I was to plant seeds, water them, and then let God do the rest. If you know anything about farming, you know it’s a slow process and not one you have control over.
When this spring came and planting season was up on us, I decided I wanted to plant tomatoes. To be honest, I don’t even like tomatoes that much, but I do like the process of seeing them grow. As I was not able to buy suckling plants, I decided to squeeze some old tomatoes I had on hand into the earth. They started coming up a bit. The very next week, a chill came over night and my plants died.
I guess God still thought I should have the lesson, because he had my neighbor give me four tomato plants (another lesson all on it’s own).
Fast forward to this morning. The morning after New York experienced a tropical storm. I had looked at my garden saying I needed to weed it out, but when I saw my friend mention she needed to do major surgery to fix back her garden, I knew it was time for me to go see my own tomatoes.
As I started fixing my tomato plants, and weeding, these are the lessons that came to me.
Lesson 1: My tomato roots weren’t very deep – and the weight of the fruit made it bend with the wind. And they were laying side ways. I had to use a stick to prop it up and add more soil to the root. Are your roots deep enough?
Lesson 2: weeding is hard work, especially when the weeds had been allowed to run rampant for some time. Some of their roots had gotten deep enough to make them hard to easily pull up. What is taking root in your life that left unattended will be difficult to uproot?
Lesson 3: I have planted my garden. My role is now to water, watch and weed. I have to then allow God to do the rest. I want a bountiful harvest, but it doesn’t come the moment I plant. I have to be willing to do the hard work and wait for it to come to fruition.
Do you plant? What are some lessons you have learned?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that you can teach us lessons through anything. Help us to learn these lessons, no matter how difficult they are at the time.