With a name like “God Made, Home Grown”, some folks might be surprised to learn that my blog has little to do with gardening. Truth be told, I have a brown thumb. No houseplant is safe for more than six months once it crosses my threshold. I once managed to kill a cactus.
What about that fantastic picture of my children picking strawberries in my blog header? Taken at a friend’s farm. And yet, there is something about cultivating the ground that draws me to keep trying, even though I’m terrible at it. There’s a window herb garden on the shelf above my kitchen sink. I’m pretty sure I planted oregano, parsley, and thyme–but the kit sat in the garage from last June until now, the soil wasn’t that great in the first place, and the only thing growing in there is mold.
Then there’s the assortment of transplanted perennials received last summer from friends whose gardens seem to have too many plants growing in them.
Oh well, at least the kids are excited about the chives.
The bright spot is in the middle of the back yard, where last year’s transplanted rhubarb seems to have resurrected. I was sure the rabbits had got it, but it’s back.
Then again, I’ve been told that if you can’t grow rhubarb in Wisconsin, there really is no hope for you in the agrarian life. But this year is going to be different. I want to turn over a new leaf and LORD willing, a green one! So I went through the trouble of putting together a raised bed.
Isn’t it pretty? What do you think will grow in it? Carrots? Beans? Tomatoes? Here’s the truth of the matter: right now, nothing but weeds is going to grow in that beautiful-looking soil, because I haven’t planted anything yet.
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:7-9
Dear Mother, your little one’s hearts are gardens that need tending. Are you carefully cultivating the Word of God in their hearts, tilling with grace, watering with love, and warming with prayer? You can be sure that something will grow there. The question is, will it be the Word, or will it be weeds?
