Gardening Tips
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
As a child, I did not care much for gardening. Maybe it was because my little German grandmother made me go weed the garden when I misbehaved. She did not seem to care whether it was in the noon-day sun or getting into dusk - then she would go get the car and park it so that the lights shone on the growing crops. She was rather strict which meant I spent many hours on my knees—rain or shine.
Over the years, I’ve made friends with gardening because I can see miracles and beauty. Susanna Foth Aughtmon (Mornings with Jesus) shares her first gardening adventure and her faith is contagious.
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This is the first year I’ve ever planted a vegetable garden. It’s been a season of high excitement watching tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, onions, bush beans, snap peas, herbs, watermelons, blueberries and squash grow. It has taken everything a while. Let’s be honest. I was ready for tomatoes the day after I planted the four-inch-tall plants. Now the swirling vines are over four feet tall. Heavy with tomatoes, they topple over their cages. The snap peas haven’t made it into the kitchen. I just pop them straight into my mouth after picking. The cucumbers hide under the broad leaves, so I can’t find them. This morning, I found seven in our little game of veggie hide-and-seek. The sunlight and water from the dripline have done their magic. I can’t wait to see what I will find tomorrow.
When my life is hidden from Jesus, I don’t often see the growth. On my own, it can take years, even decades, to start bearing the kind of fruit that He wants to see in me. Kindness? Gentleness? Self-control? These can be slow-yielding crops. Jesus is my sunlight and water. He nourishes me and helps me grow. Apart from Him, I can do nothing. But Jesus promises if I remain in Him, His life will flow through mine, yielding more growth than I could ever dream of harvesting on my own.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being the Vine. Your miracles and blessings of beauty are overwhelming as we learn another life-lesson. Keep us strongly rooted and grafted into You. AMEN.