What Gardening Has Taught Me About Life

I am by no means an experienced gardener. A few summers ago I decided that I was going to plant a few peppers and tomatoes and I completely failed at it. I was not faithful in watering the plants and I planted them where they did not receive enough sun. The next year, I dug up a larger section of my yard, determined that since I had that first summer's mistakes to learn from, I now would plant a productive, healthy garden. I started out strong. I had healthy plants that were growing well, and the weeds were kept to a minimum. However, as the summer went on, the weeds became more and more prevalent. I had a few attacks of conscience in which I went out and restored the garden to tolerable order, and the plants produced well. Last summer I followed the same pattern, but my lazy weeding cost me a row of carrots before the month of May was over.

Gardening for me has become much more than a hobby or a means of providing healthy, inexpensive food for my family. Instead, gardening has repeatedly taught me life lessons.

1. I need quality nourishment. Productive plants need sun, water and sometimes fertilizer. While I need food to survive, I need much more than mere calories and nutrients to live a productive life. I need to feed my spirit well and often. Feeding my spirit includes receiving guidance from the Bible, spending time in prayer, and establishing deep and lasting relationships with friends and family. As a plant cannot be watered twice a summer and be expected to survive, I cannot feed my spirit once or twice a week and expect to thrive. I need inner strengthening and nourishment daily if I am to reach my full potential.

2. My life needs weeding. Just as weeding is necessary to ensure a plant reaches its maximum growth and production, my life needs weeding to ensure I reach my full potential as a human being. If I allow bad habits and sinful practices to dominate my life, I will never be able to contribute to the lives of my family members, friends and acquaintances as I would otherwise. I want to be an honest, caring, generous, sincere Christian who puts others before herself. If I allow the weeds of selfishness, pride, lying or arrogance to grow, I will be hindered from fulfilling the plans God has for me.

3. My life will bear a harvest. The amount of sweat, work and toil I put into my garden will be directly reflected in the amount and quality of produce I get back from it. The same is true with me. The more I work at keeping a right spirit and going down the path God has for me, the more honor and glory I can bring to Him. Galatians 6:7 encapsulates the thought perfectly, "...whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." If I sow lies, deceit, laziness and selfishness, I will reap broken relationships, loneliness, and spiritual famine.

Life lessons are all around us. Keeping a garden has been just one way in which I have been able to learn about the importance of working on the person that I am and striving to be better. I do this not to earn favor with God or work my way to heaven, but to give back to Him the life that He redeemed from hell through His Son, Jesus.