Not much of a gardener, I read the backs of the seed packets ten times over, hoping to discover the secret to a successful green bean harvest. "When the seedlings are about 3" tall, thin them to 6" apart. Cultivate and fertilize regularly." Are you kidding me? I'm supposed kill something that I planted? On purpose? I had such dreams for those cute little seeds. I knelt on my dirt encrusted knees, trying to discern which leaves held the greatest promise. Seriously, I felt like I was trying to pick a future Nobel prize winner from a preschool class. I did not want to yank the wrong plant. I understand the reasoning behind thinning the shoots: none of them will reach their full potential if they are all fighting for the same nutrients and sunshine in one small patch of soil.
Wise words, I tell you what. I feel like an overcrowded garden myself these days. Each little seedling represents the hope of the future, my knees getting dirtier by the day as I stare at the soil, wondering which seedling to pull. I wrote about this same topic back in March, but with a slightly different twist than today's thought.
Maybe I'm missing the point altogether. Maybe the key words are cultivate and fertilize. Get rid of what needs to go, and work like mad to maintain the right environment for everything else to flourish. Remember Noah? God gave him the command to build the ark, the exact dimensions of the ark, and closed the door behind him when the ark was built. But He did not drop wood out of the sky or hold the hammer for him. Noah did the work. And, he did this before the earth had ever seen a raindrop (Genesis 2:5).
I wonder if Noah just wanted to sit and watch tv once in a while. Or stare at the sky looking for confirmation. I guess it's time to dust off my knees and get to work.
Well God did tell Noah to build is Ark out of cypress wood :). God will provide you with everything you need to do the work He wants you to do.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you my friend.