Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up
One sunny autumn day, my younger daughter and I harvested corn. The farmers taught us how to rip open the husks and twist it off like apples on a tree. As we stumbled through the field, I grabbed the tall plants in order to reach the corn. We continued to walk with the sounds of crunched husks all around us.
During this special time, I thought more about harvesting. In the Bible, Galations 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
In the gardening world, sowing requires good soil, specific temperatures, sunlight, and spacing. Sometimes one gets great results, while other instances not so much. This is similar to our work as moms and caregivers. Sometimes our seeds do not get enough sun, other times it is too hot or cold. However, we continue to persevere and remind ourselves to not grow weary in doing good.
Last summer, I started a vegetable and herb garden. The kids and I went to the store and bought three wooden boxes and plants. Matt helped put lining and dirt in the containers and we were excited to see what would grow. To my surprise, it ended up being moderately successful! Zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and dill seemed to dominate. The big prickly zucchini leaves and tomato vines wandered throughout the garden boxes and the basil grew tall while the dill leaned towards the sun.
For the first month, fruit and vegetables popped up frequently. However, as the season went on, the production of both zucchini and tomato decreased. I tried to trouble shoot. Maybe watering more would help. However, I realized that made no difference and it appeared the zucchini leaves were blocking a lot of sunlight to the tomato vines. Kind of like what a negative highway can do in our minds when we need sunshine. The leaves hid positive light to the garden box. I needed to somehow raise the tomatoes and trim back the big leaves. As a matter of fact, the overproduction was also affecting the zucchini’s own growth. Just like with too many negative thoughts, we tend to sometimes get in our own way. Interestingly, my herb box grew differently. The dill plant physically moved itself to the sun and the basil thrived as it soared high. These herbs actively sought out light.
In the present day, as time marches on, spring is approaching. We are trying a new gardening method: plants from seeds. At first, the sowing seemed daunting, however, we have not done much with them other than provide sunlight and water. About three weeks in, they are already becoming tall seedlings!
Check out my Podcast, To Mom, Episode 1 for more details. Podcast Episode 2 is coming this weekend!
Comments