I'm not one of those people who grow a garden because I think it's fun. I have a garden to provide sustenance for my family. To be totally honest, I had never even stepped foot into a garden until I married a handsome cowboy who introduced me to country life. He planted a garden for us our first year of marriage and taught me everything he knew about planting, weeding, picking, and preserving. We have been a successful team gardening together for the past 11 years with our tribe. This year, however, he wasn't able to help as much due to his busy work schedule. Thus, most of the gardening was left to me . . . especially the never-ending task of weeding (which I loathe). Here are a few life lessons I gleaned from my garden this year:
1.) Anger begets negativity, which then feeds neglect and leads to deeply rooted mammoth weeds that choke the life from your tender plants . . . I was angry that my garden didn't produce a sufficient yield of peas to put up this year, despite my many efforts. I felt cheated and wronged by my garden. Consequently, I chose to have a negative attitude and pretty much ignore weeding the rest of my garden in a foolish attempt to somehow "teach" my garden a lesson (not the smartest thing I've ever done). However, I was taught the greater lesson - passive aggressive behavior and anger do not bring forth good fruit, rather they yield noxious weeds to afflict and torment man. The longer you ignore the problem (weeds) the deeper the roots grow and the harder it is to yank it out.
2.) It is not wise to attempt to weed in dry soil, as the weeds will break off and continue to grow, and your labor will have been in vain. However, if you saturate the soil with water, you are better able to yank the weeds up by the roots. This analogy came to me the other day: To me, saturating the soil with water is coming unto Christ and seeking for His help. He softens the hardness of our hearts (soil) and helps us pluck each weed so that the we can continue to grow and flourish unencumbered by pride, addictions, and sins which might otherwise choke the life from within us. Christ can help us get to the "root" of the problem and permanently remove it.
3.) 600 feet of deeply rooted weeds, waist high - can be overwhelming to tackle, even with wet, saturated soil. However, with a few good friends by your side, gloves on, hair tied back, and ready to work, you can move forward with the daunting task of finding your potatoes again. The thought of weeding my mammoth garden by myself was so disheartening that I put it off week after week. Finally, I realized that I couldn't do it alone and called three friends to help me - two to weed in the garden and one to watch my littles. Each of them were eager to help me clean up "my mess" - without judgment. And oh the joy that filled my heart as we finished those rows. It felt as though a great burden had been lifted. As my beautiful mother often says, "Life is about helping one another. We can't make it on our own. We need each other." She is right - we do need each other!
So friends, learn from my gardening and personal blunders: 1.) Let go of the anger, resentment, or hurt you may feel towards another - no matter how justified it might be. Nothing good will come of it. It'll only deepen the roots of bitterness within your own heart and choke out the beauty and joy within you. 2.) Allow the Savior into your heart, let Him saturate your soul with His love, and allow Him to pull out those deeply rooted weeds. He has the capacity to do such because He atoned for all of our sins, heartaches, struggles, and weaknesses. He knows how to succor us perfectly because He loves us personally and infinitely. 3.) We can't make it through this life on our own - we need each other. Surround yourself with good people who edify, uplift, encourage, and inspire you to be your best self. Learn to ask for help and be willing to receive it, and then in turn, help another.
~Love me~Kristen
