Garden Wisdom

Several years ago, we created a vegetable garden on land owned by the Borough near a "buffer zone" between our town house association and nearby businesses.   We asked if we would beautify the hill, as other neighbors have landscaped and planted flowers.   Our garden started out as a clay filled hill, turned over and worked on by my stepson, with bags of topsoil added.   The following year, the same area became fenced in, and more plants added.   In the summer of 2018, the heavy rains washed the topsoil away and exposed the roots of some plants.  Most withered in the sun, and except for tomatoes, our crop was light.

So, this year, I tried something different.  We reduced the size, created an area for our neighbor to plant.  I added more fence stakes, dug a path on the side and back, created planting beds and walking rows, added stone bricks, and learned how to stake better for growing plants.   It all looked great.  And then the storms arrive.

Life is like that for many of us.  We work hard.  We create our projects and execute our plans.  Often in our own strength.   We admire what we have accomplished--and want no one or nothing to change that.

And then the storms of life arrive and test what we have made.   Jesus says this in Matthew 7:24-27:

²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Is our foundation on the rock or sand?   After the storm in the photo above, I thought about this verse and looked at my foundation.   I saw the areas where the water went.  I moved just one of the stone edge blocks slightly to let water run out.   I added more bricks and added much in all the planting beds and in the walking rows.   I reinforced the stakes and also noticed what did work well.

In life, the storms test us to expose our weak areas, but also to see areas where we are strong.  They allow us the choice to make changes that can help us weather the next storm better than the last.  

We are at the mercy of the storm, and realize we have no control.  Just as I could not control the amount of rain falling, I could create steps to help mitigate the damage.   In life, when we turn to God in the storm, we may not take it away--in fact, Jesus said in this life you will have trials-but take heart, because I have overcome the world.   God is with us though the storm, and when we turn to him and turn our lives and wills over to him, we will prepare us to weather the next storm that comes better than we did before.

So, after the storm that hit the garden there was calm weather.  Followed by a few days of breeze and sunshine.  Just what the plants need to be established and develop strong roots.   And that is what we need.  A time of refreshing after life's storm to retain our footing and grow roots of faith and wisdom in God to help secure us for the next storm that comes by.

Here is the garden today, taken not long after a recent heavy rainstorm.  It's quite a difference now.

God showed me wisdom from a garden, and He can show you wisdom also.  Think about a recent storm in your life, or one you are going though now and what wisdom you can gain to help you when the next storm or trial arrives.