I was out in the garden this morning harvesting kale and basil…yes, I planted (or should I say “we”, my husband and I, planted) not only one but two vegetable gardens during this pandemic…not because we were bored, mind you, but because our sons gave it to me – the seeds, dirt, tools, even the gardening gloves, etc. – for my birthday back in February. We haven’t planted a garden for the past eight years or so. (our soil isn’t the most conducive, so we had to have another truck load shipped in!)
Anyway, I did do a little singing to God (in my head, it was early morning, didn’t want to scare the neighbors) while I was gathering the crops, which reminded me that gardening can be good for the soul. But, like growing our faith, it takes work too.
Here are some tools I’ve found over the years to grow my faith (and my garden!):
- Being still and knowing He is God. (following Psalm 46:10) This means trusting God is in charge – that He will send the sun and rain at just the right times and my garden will grow even if I make mistakes in the way I plant some of it.
- Being grateful…being content with what IS growing, and not worry about what isn’t going so well yet.
- Being hopeful and patient…all good things take time and perseverance.
- Being discerning and maintaining balance…weeding out the bad stuff so it doesn’t sap the energy of and take over the good stuff.
- Showing up…even when I don’t feel like it. That means fighting resistance, laziness, apathy…tending to my garden (praying, reading from the Bible, going to church) on a regular basis.
- Sharing with others…while I like solitude, I find the most joy in sharing my harvest with others.
Thank you God for planting me just where you did and for all of your abundant gifts. Help me to bloom like the flowers of the garden and yield good fruit (and vegetables).
