Lessons from a Garden 18

Lesson 18: Beware of Fruit Thieves

When tomatoes began appearing on the tomato plants and our garden was getting green my wife and I thought it would be nice to encourage birds to come around. We bought a bird feeder and a bag of birdseed and placed this near the garden. As we usually ate breakfast on our back deck we imagined colourful songbirds chirping around us. Well things did not turn out quite like that. Mostly we attracted crows, starlings, and blackbirds who drove the smaller birds away. And then came the granddaddy of groundhogs. He ate the birdseed that fell on the ground and then started on our tomatoes, stealing the fruit before we could harvest it. We took down the bird feeder. After a few mornings of getting sprayed with the water hose the groundhog eventually left.

In the old days the veteran Christians would sometimes talk about the devil stealing their blessing. By that they meant  that after they had had a great blessing, perhaps at a revival meeting, a few days later things would go wrong and they would get upset and discouraged. In your Christian life, don’t let anyone or anything steal your blessing. Don’t let the devil rob you of your joy. Don’t let anything spoil the fruit that the Spirit is cultivating in your life.

James 4:7

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Lessons from a Garden 17

Lesson 17: Thinning the plants

One of the most difficult lessons from my garden was that of thinning the plants. The instructions on the seed packets said to sow liberally, then after the plants began to grow to thin out the weaker ones so that the stronger plants would not be crowded out. To uproot plants that were quite healthy and were doing what that were designed to do was difficult. I felt sorry for them because they were being uprooted for no reason of their own. I had to learn not to be so sentimental about my plants.

In our Christian life we can sometimes be so eager to serve the Lord and the Church that we crowd our life with too many good things. As a result nothing that we do mounts to much. It is better to do a few things well than to do many things shoddily. If we try to do too much too quickly the result is that very little gets done properly. And we can get burnt out. We need to weed out some things so we can do those things that we do best. No one can do everything. Don’t feel guilty because you have to say no to some things. Concentrate on using the gifts God has given you.

Romans 12:6-7

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;

Lessons from a Garden 16

Lesson 16: Water Often

Summers in Southern Ontario where I live can be very dry. This summer was no exception. After we planted our garden there was a long period of no rain, so it was necessary to get out our garden hose and water the young plants three or four times a week. It is amazing how much the plants depend on water. It is their life blood. When the leaves start to wilt and the stalks start to bend, a good soaking revives them and brings them back to life.

In the Bible water is a powerful symbol used to describe both the Spirit of God and the Word of God. The Bible talks about the Spirit being poured into our hearts (Acts 10:45) and the Church being washed with the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26). As Christians we need both the Spirit of God and the Word of God to nourish our souls. As plants cannot survive without water, neither can we survive without God’s Spirit in our heart and God’s Word in our mind.

Joel 2:28-29

“And afterward,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

    your old men will dream dreams,

    your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants, both men and women,

    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Lessons from a Garden 15

Lesson 15: Lending Support

Besides planting seeds into my garden I also put in about a dozen tomato plants. They were small, fragile things that I bought from a local nursery. I put them in with hope that some day they would produce fruit. In anticipation of this and as a sign of my faith in nature I bought a tomato cage for each of the plants to give them support as they grew. The plants were about four inches high, and the cages were about three feet high. They would have a lot of growing to do, but they would be surrounded by a support system as they grew.

Perhaps in your life there are new Christians or children who are just learning about Jesus. Their faith is small. Their understanding of the Christian life is very limited. As they start on their journey with God they need the support of Christians who are older and more mature than they are. They need help to remain upright in their life. You can be that support. You can be part of the church team or the network of friends who help others to grow in their faith.

Galatians 6:2

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Lessons from a Garden 14

Lesson 14: Starting Over

Because of the damage that the rabbits did to my vegetable garden I lost all my lettuce and some of my carrots and beets. Several weeks of the growing season were past, but I figured if the weather stayed warm there was still a good chance to replant. So although it was late for planting I once again put seeds into the ground and started over. This time the seeds were secure in their protected boxes.

It is not always easy to start over, but it is not impossible. If after you began your Christian journey something happened to diminish your faith or interrupt your walk with God, don’t despair. It is never too late to start over. Our God is the God of second chances. You can rework the soil. You can plant the seeds of faith again. You can produce a crop for the Lord. In the Bible many of God’s children started over after failing the first time. Remember Moses, Jonah, and Peter to name just three. There is yet a promising future for those willing to try again.

Jonah 3:1-3

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.

Lessons from a Garden 13

Lesson 13: Feeding the Plants

I rescued my vegetables from the rabbits and built boxes around the plants to protect them. But they still needed one more thing: food. The soil where I planted my vegetables was not the greatest. It needed improvement. I went to the garden supply centre and bought ten bags of topsoil, rich in plant nutrients. Carefully I mixed this into the soil in the boxes, thus creating a healthy environment for my crop.

Sometimes you can’t do much about where you live and where you work. If your home environment is rich in a heritage of faith, a place where people encourage one another and forgive one another and pray for one another, then you have a healthy spiritual environment. If your workplace is one where you can interact with your colleagues in a friendly, non-threatening way and perhaps at times even talk about your faith, you have a lot going for you. But if your home or workplace is not like that, don’t despair. Find ways to enrich your spiritual life through your church and Christian friends. Then you can be the one to make life richer for others who as yet do not believe.

1 Thessalonians 5:10-12

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Lessons from a Garden 12

Lesson 12: Protecting your crop

Once I discovered that rabbits were eating the shoots of my vegetables before they had a chance to develop I had to figure out how to protect my crop. The solution was to build wooden garden boxes with mesh top to keep the critters out. It took some time and effort and a little financial investment, but I eventually built two critter-proof boxes that provided a safe environment for my little crop. The tops of the boxes could be removed for weeding and thinning.

If we find that our faith is slipping or we feel that we are not as close to the Lord as we once were we need to determine why. Then we need to do something about it. We need to protect ourselves from whatever is drawing us away from God. The Bible talks about putting on the armour of God, using the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. There are things we can do to protect ourselves spiritually. Things like developing a healthy devotional life, participating in a good Bible study group, and worshipping regularly at your church.

James 4:7

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.