Lessons From My Garden

A garden can teach a person a lot about life! I am not a fancy gardener or one that likes to spend my days weeding and fussing. What I do love is watching my garden grow! Here are a few lessons from my garden…

I like to spend time in the early morning hours, sometimes in my pajama’s with a cup of coffee in hand, walking through the veggie garden getting my bare feet wet with morning dew. Pulling a weed here and there but mostly keeping track of the daily changes and growth in the garden. Armed with my camera, I am like a proud mother at a child’s recital… busy documenting the achievement of my vegetables and flowers!

Early morning is also the time for cutting and caring for flowers. I take a humble bushel basket with me to fill with flowers. I tend to personify everything… flowers included. They feel so honored to be picked, knowing that they will become a part of simple arrangements indoors!  

You will find me out in my garden again in the evening spending the best part of a summer day, that hour before dark, in my garden. It is like therapy. I might do a little more digging and weeding. I like to carry an old worn watering can and splash liquid joy on my plants! 

I often talk to God while I’m in the garden. It’s a quiet place I can turn my thought inward and upward. And just like my gardening style my conversation is nothing fancy or formal but simple and intimate!

In the bible, God teaches us many heavenly lessons through garden things…

• wheat and tares
• seeds
• weeds
• planting
• sowing
• grapes
• harvest
• and more

HERE ARE 5 THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY GARDEN AND GOD

Given the right condition everything grows!  

When things (people, too) are planted with a little care and nurture, they grow and thrive! We should always be growing!  

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Eph 4:32

It takes time to reach our potential.   

Tomatoes and other veggies need time to become there very best! It doesn’t happen overnight. They need to mature!

Same with people!  As we grow we should be maturing in the spiritual things of God too! Maturity happens by renewing our minds to align with the word of God so we can think correctly and act according to His will.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (mature). Romans 12:2

Some plants are pest resistant.

Some vegetables are more resistant to disease and pests than others. They are the happiest plants in my garden!   There are many garden pests that spell doom for plants. Aphids, cucumber bugs, and potato beetles are just a few! But some plants are resistant to them!    

We should acknowledge that there will always be pests in our lives too! Don’t let others or situations steal our joy for life! We need to protect ourselves against the aphids, cucumber bugs and potato beetles of life!  

We all know bad things will happen. It’s part of the brokenness of life! The best way to get through these times is to protect our minds and hearts!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, stand.  

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6: 10-18

Pruning helps a plant grow!  

OUCH!  It is almost painful to cut off a pretty trailing vine filled with buds… but sometimes too much of a good thing is not good for the overall well being of a plant!

Pruning back vines and branches gives a plant more energy and room to grow.   

Same with people. When we get so busy and involved with too many activities and projects they suck the life out of our main purposes for living! Too many “things” tend to drag us down making us grumpy, tired and even sick. Lighten your load… prune and edit often!  Keep the main thing the main thing! We were made to bring God glory!

Prune what will not give glory to your Father! Put your energy into living a life that is an act of worship to God!

O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3

You reap what you sow.

We should not plant pepper seeds if we want to harvest tomatoes! We need to look very carefully at the seeds we plant in our lives because we will ALWAYS reap what we sow! Good or bad! ALWAYS!  

A tomato seed will always produce a tomato plant. The potential of the plant is found in the seed!  

Remember this… THE PROMISE IS IN THE SEED! If you want to know what you are planting in your life always look at the seed!

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Galatians 6:7

There are so many more lessons I have learned from my garden! Many with amazing spiritual truths!

Jesus taught us many truths by using illustrations from the agrarian culture around Him. What beautiful, simple, deep truths! These are the seeds of life!

Plant those good seeds of truth in your life, cultivate them and watch them grow!!!! You will be blessed beyond measure!

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. Galatians 6:8

This week’s memorization verse…

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Galatians 6:7