Lesson from the Garden

If you have followed my writing for any length of time you have heard me talk about my love of gardening. I would like to tell you I have lush flower beds and landscaping but I live in the edge of the hill country, so we have more rocks that plants. The garden I refer to is a raised bed my Honey built so I could put fresh veggies on the table. Any landscaping would be native plantings I've tried to arrange to keep mowing at a minimum.

I grew up with both sets of my grandparent gardening and it just feels natural to me. While I have many pairs of garden gloves, I usually end up with my hands in the dirt. I do not fret over manicured nails; I am more concerned about pulling weeds that steal water from my veggies.

I've learned many life lessons in the garden. After all, where better to see nature play out the dance that is life? Seed time and harvest is God's original concept. God is never out of the garden. He created the very first garden so I can only conclude He has an infinity for gardening.

My Honey reaps the benefits of the garden and he helps but it is not his 'thing.' He does not enjoy the same sense of satisfaction I get from my morning garden walks. He tickled me this weekend with a garden confession. He was out doing the morning watering and pulled a healthy looking plant which was making itself at home in the middle of the tomato plants. He pulled it thinking it was a weed which had gotten as big as it was because I could not reach it easily; his intent was good. Then he had a moment of fear thinking he had pulled up a corn plant, thus the confession. He was correct the first time, I could not easily reach the offender.

His moment of panic came from not knowing what he removed because he did not know what had been planted. His relationship with the garden is a casual one. Mine is more intimate. My dirty hands planted the seeds. I know the little plants when they first poke their little heads through the soil. I watch the progress daily. I know which is weed and that which is food because I am intimately involved with the garden. I know what to pull out and what to foster.

Here comes the life lesson......when we have a casual relationship with God we are just as likely to let the weeds of life grow and not recognize that which should be removed from of our life. All that is godly is good but all that is good is not godly.

Without intimacy with God and His Word, we can be fooled and confused; allowing the razzle dazzle of life to lead us into a false sense of knowing what is truly godly good instead of that which appears good.

Again: all that is godly is good but all that is good is not godly. Just being good is not enough. Ponder that for a while.

My Honey pulled a healthy plant from the bed; then because it looked good, thought he may have made a mistake. It did, indeed, look like corn. Sadly, this weed was healthier than a couple of the tomato plants around it. His lack of hands-on intimate time with the garden coupled with lack of knowledge left him uncertain. While this was just a small incident, it is magnified many times over when we are talking about decisions we make for our daily lives. It is paramount when it comes to our eternal lives.