So, what is coming up in your garden?? That’s a question that I’ve heard being asked in a number of different settings this past week. In this season of year, when people get together, they tend to talk about their gardening exploits. As much interest as there may be in the “how to’s” of gardening (wire cages, A frames, mound planting, plastic sheeting vs. mulch, etc) what people are really most interested in knowing is, “What is coming up in your garden?” You see gardening isn’t so much about technique, though that can be interesting to compare different ways people do things, but gardening is really about fruit or produce.
This is such a wonderful time of year because we, at the Nelson household, are starting to enjoy the benefit of our plots at the Community Garden. In the last couple weeks, we’ve eaten lettuce and spinach from our garden. Within the past week we’ve harvested our first zucchinis. Yes, lock your car while you’re at church, because as the joke goes, it’s zucchini season!! 😊
This year in our garden, we’ve planted the basics; lettuce, spinach, zucchini, beans, peas, kale (not my idea), tomatoes, squash, carrots, beets, kohlrabi (again, not my idea), and just a few other basics. Things are looking really good in the garden. In fact, all the garden plots are looking good. With the moisture we’ve received, it could be / should be a great year.
Because we’ve planted the above-mentioned seeds in the soil of the garden, that is what we expect to harvest, lettuce, spinach, beans, peas, kale, tomatoes, squash, carrots, beets, kohlrabi, etc. Of course, there are plenty of weeds coming up too, so we have to do the work of weeding the garden. But things are looking good for a bountiful harvest over the next few weeks and month.
So, the question becomes, how are things looking in the garden of my soul?? How are things looking in the “Discipleship” garden of my life? You see, as Jesus tells us in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, our hearts and minds are like soil, and the type or quality of the soil will determine, in part, the quality of the growth that takes place in our lives. Another story in the Bible speaks of the fact that a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. Again, the question being quietly asked is, “What kind of fruit am I bearing in the way I’m living my life and my faith?”
And of course, in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he tells the Jesus followers that how one lives is important. In other words, our behaviors, actions, attitudes, etc. will impact our faith and the witness we bear for Jesus. Paul writes that God isn’t surprised by our lives because, “You reap what you sow.” Galatians 6:7. In other words, the seeds you plant in the soil of your life, and the seeds and plants that you nurture, that is what you will sow…or harvest. If you sow love and hope, you’ll reap love and hope. If you sow anger and deception, you’ll reap anger and deception. That’s just how it works.
Like a friend of mine has suggested, I wish bacon came from a seed…but it doesn’t. So, I can’t expect bacon to be harvested in my garden. In the same way, wishful thinking won’t bring personal or appropriate faith qualities to develop in our lives. Only by planting those seeds and nurturing them, will the fruit of the spirit come forth.
So, the question remains…what is coming up in your garden? That’s a great question to ask yourself. It’s a great question to talk with a trusted friend about so they can help you examine and evaluate the “fruit” in your life. The life of faith really is meant to be lived in community. That is where we find strength and encouragement. But that is also where we find accountability and honesty as we continue to plant, nurture, and harvest fruit, spiritual fruit, in our lives. What does God want to see grow in your life? Make sure those seeds are being planted and nurtured in the good soil of your soul.
With all this fruit and produce talk, I’m getting hungry. I guess I’ll go gnaw on a kohlrabi. I hear it’s good for me!!
Pastor Keith