GLEANINGS FROM MY GARDEN
Summer is a great time to get out and work in the garden; I enjoy planting and growing vegetables and also have a wide variety of annual and perennial flowers. Late summer and fall are times when our family delights in fresh garden lettuce, beets, swish chard, cucumbers, and tomatoes; … I think I could eat BLT sandwiches, Zucchini boats, beans, corn on the cob, and fresh squash every day.
One of the lessons I’ve had to learn is how to discern between weeds and flowers. There are many weeds that really look like some of the flowers. Look-a-like weeds mimic the true flowers and vines, but in the end show their worthlessness and destructive capabilities. Both Paul and Peter warned about false teachers and heresies that would try to divide the church or undermine the Gospel. One of the common “weeds” in our culture today is relativism; there is no absolute truth – you believe what you want as long as you don’t impose your beliefs on me. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).
Weeds can also choke out the other plants and rob them of precious water and nutrients. Clover, “pig weeds,” grass, and thistles are notorious for robbing the garden of the vital substance the fruits and vegetables need. A garden that is productive needs to be weeded more than once… seeking out those things that would choke out our love for God’s Word, steal the energy and divert our attention from the needs of others must be rooted out. In Jesus’ parable of the four different kinds of soil He warns how the cares of this world can easily cause us to wilt rather than thrive. I found out that persistence in weeding is critical for the health of the plants. While you can water when the evening turns to dusk, you can’t weed in the dark. Full and daily exposure to God’s word and relying on the Holy Spirit to enlighten our reading are tools God gives us in the jungle we live.
About mid-summer, the peak of Zucchini season, my wife asked, “Just how many zucchini plants did you plant this year?” I replied, “Only two in the front yard and three in the back.” This conversation was on the heels of discovering a few “sleepers,” zucchini that have grown to twice the size of a football almost overnight while we were sleeping. An overabundance of tomatoes, kale, zucchini and vegetables is an opportunity to share with our neighbors. “We love, because God first loved us!” (1 John 4:19). He loved us enough to create all living things, including my garden. He loved us so much He sent His Son to redeem us when we had fallen away; His love enables love, mercy, and grace to flow into the lives of others.
A final lesson I’ve learned is that planting plants too close together or not thinning out the plants can reduce the growth of the fruit or compromise the yield of the vegetables. Last year’s apples were not much bigger than golf balls; this year when the apple tree began to sprout the tiny apples we picked off many of the small buds; the result was a bumper crop of apples that were bigger than baseballs. God blesses us with reason and experiences, friends and mentors, challenges and learning opportunities, to help us to discern how best to use our time, talents, and treasures. Connecting God’s Word and His Church, listening to the Words of the “master gardener” enable us to bare fruit. May God’s grace continue to flow into our lives so that we might be able to share the fruits of His mercy and love with others.
Pastor Schuldheisz
OUR RESOURCES
