Last year my wife and I built two good sized garden boxes in our back yard with the intention of growing and harvesting our own vegetables. It was pretty successful, however we learned a lot about what to do and more importantly, what not to do.
So, this year she began again by planting a variety of little seeds into small containers filled with soil. She nurtured them with good soil, religious watering and a healthy dose of sunlight (natural and artificial since it has been rather overcast and cold here). It was a lot of fun to check in every day and see just how much they had grown from the night before. Some of the seeds had slow and barely noticeable growth, while others grew at an astounding rate. It was so fascinating and beautiful to see these baby plants emerging from these lifeless shells, pushing their way through the dirt and searching for the light.
While observing this brilliant transformation, I couldn’t help but think of how the principles of growing a healthy garden are very much like growing healthy people.
Everyone has weeds in their garden. That is, there are certain hurts and hangups in people’s lives that, when left unattended, will multiply and eventually take over. If anything good does try to sprout, these weeds can constrict and destroy any hopeful growth.
Sometimes people are unaware of or even unable to get rid of those things which prevent positive fruit from growing. As children of the Master Gardener, I believe that in the lives of hurting people we are to help identify and pull out those weeds which threaten to enslave and destroy. In their place we are to plant seeds of positivity and change. We nurture and water the emerging seedlings through genuine love and concern, encouraging support and attention, and by pulling up any new weeds that might try to rear their ugly heads.
People hurt. We live in a dirty, messy, broken world full of thorny and ugly weeds. It’s easy to ignore these things and pretend that they aren’t as ugly as they really are.
For a few years, we had people living next door who were renting the house from a little old lady. Sadly, they did not seem to care for the property much as the front yard was in complete disarray and the back yard was completely overgrown with thorny, nasty weeds. It was bad. In fact, the ugly things tried to pop up in our yard. However, when I noticed one I would diligently make sure to pull it up by the root to prevent it from growing back and bringing along its little buddies. Thankfully, a new family has purchased the house and are working hard to restore the yard to the beauty that it once had. But it seems to be a lot of work, and they have a lot of stubborn weeds that keep trying to take over.
By showing others the kind of compassionate love that Jesus taught, you help them begin to remove those thorny things in their lives which have taken over. In giving encouragement and care, you plant little seeds which, in time, can produce beautiful fruits. Amazingly, some seeds defy odds and are able to push up through thorny weeds, growing into beautiful, healthy plants. You never know when or in what ways the little seeds you plant will take root and grow. Some seeds remain seemingly dormant for quite a while, yet in their time begin to germinate and poke through the soil.
A gentle touch. An attentive ear. An encouraging word. An act of service. A simple smile. These are all seeds of compassion which we should strive to sow. And if we do it with a faith that God will honor this and work his wonder in their lives, He’ll bless them by pouring out His own ultimate Miracle-Gro.
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