Garden Moments

One of the joys in my retirement has been having the time to tend a small garden.  Last year was my first attempt and I grew to love the time devoted to planting, watering and even weeding.  The reward was enjoying fresh lettuce, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, beans, carrots and even a few small watermelon.  There were also some corn stalks, which unfortunately didn't develop before the cold hit.

As my husband predicted, this year I expanded my garden space just a bit and added beets and sweet potatoes to the mix.  Although I planted on the exact same date as last year, the weather has been cooler, resulting in a slower reward for my efforts. 

The lettuce was the first to reach maturity, and I've been enjoying daily salads.  Soon there were a few cucumbers to add to the mix, followed by the sugar snap peas.  Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one wanting to enjoy the peas.  At first I wasn't sure what was getting into them, but then caught the birds feasting away.  A dear friend suggested putting up some kind of scarecrow, so I improvised by covering a step ladder with a shirt and jeans, adding a straw hat to complete the ensemble.  Thankfully, it appears I've managed to preserve the remaining peas.

It was exciting to discover four baby watermelons starting to develop, and thinning out the carrots resulted in some fairly good sized treats to munch on.  I've treated myself to one small beet, and a handful of beans will soon be ready for picking. 

This evening as I was trimming up the lettuce and pulling a few of the pesky weeds (which unfortunately keep reappearing), I was reminded of the parable of the sower.  Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8 each record Jesus comparing the planting of crops to the planting of God's Word into our lives. 

The first example He used was of the seeds scattered along the path, which was trampled on and eaten by the birds.  This relates to those who hear God's Word, but then the devil comes and takes the it from their hearts, so they cannot believe and be saved.

Next were the seeds which fell on rock, resulting in withered plants due to the lack of moisture.  This was to represent those who received God's Word with joy, but didn't allow it to take root in their lives.  In times of testing, they fell away.

Seeds falling among the thorns were those which ended up being choked.  In the same way, some receive God's Word, but then allow life's worries, riches and pleasure to prevent reaching full maturity in the Lord.

Finally, there were the seeds which fell on good soil, yielding crops a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was planted.  These seeds represented those with a noble and good heart who hear God's Word, retain it, and bring forth more believers as a result.

Looking out at my garden, it appears most of the seed fell on good soil.  Keeping the weeds at bay has been my responsibility, and the scarecrow stands guard to shoo the birds away.  To me this has been a picture of the Holy Spirit at work in my life, always standing guard over the precious crop made possible by the planting of God's Word.  It has not yet been determined what my yield will be, but am thankful for the daily forecast of "Sonshine" and "God reigns" to move things on toward the harvest. 

Meanwhile, how does YOUR garden grow?