Volunteers

Our garden did not do very well this year. It was very hot too early and with little or no rain, the plants dried up. What didn’t dry up, the raccoons and rabbits ate. Guess they didn’t see the “animals keep out” sign I posted. They even ate the watermelons which made me very, very sad. Actually they only ate HALF of each watermelon, which made me mad. Even the okra didn’t produce this year and okra normally does great in hot weather.

However, we did have plants called “volunteers.” Some of the plants that grow the best are those that just seem to appear. I don’t know how they got planted in the garden…whether a bird dropped a seed, a seed from last year germinated, or one of those animals deposited the seeds. But, what I do know is that volunteers are a surprise to me when they come up. They are unexpected, but always delightful and appreciated.

I think that is true in my own spiritual life. There are those attributes that I constantly work on, and some that I seem to excel in NOT being able to grow…such as self control and patience. I work and work at growing in those areas, and the more I work at them, the more elusive they seem to get. But about the time I get discouraged, I find myself in a difficult situation and am surprised at the peace or the gentleness or the kindness that comes out of my life or out of my mouth. And when it does, I am very aware that it has little to do with me and everything to do with the One who works good things into my life…even and maybe especially…when I am not looking.

So I wonder why I strive at developing the fruit of patience and self control. Perhaps I should simply trust that the One who is completely patient and is almighty can do the impossible…which I cannot do. And believe that he wants to do the impossible in me! Maybe I will just rest in Him and let Him grow those amazing serendipities in my life. Then He gets all the credit and glory and I get peace and joy. Maybe I’ll try more trust this week and watch for the “volunteers” to grow.

The seed that brings multiplication

My first garden was only a few plants in a small flower bed near the house. We planted beans and several tomato plants.

One day I was cutting one of our home-grown tomatoes for a salad for dinner. As I examined the inside of the tomato, I realized there were hundreds of seeds inside that one small tomato. Those seeds alone could result in hundreds of new plants, each bearing dozens of tomatoes, and each new tomato would contain hundreds of seeds. That one tomato had the potential of producing thousands of other tomatoes.

At the time, I was studying the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and the story of creation. Of course I had seen the inside of tomatoes all my life, but had never associated it with God's amazing design and provision for multiplication.

From Genesis 1, On the third day, God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth" and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:11-12).

God created the vegetables and the fruit to be full of seeds. Many times we eat those seeds. But when planting time comes, we plant seeds in the ground, and we watch the harvest come up. It is always exciting to see the new vegetables and fruit begin to form on the plants.

On the sixth day, God created living creatures. THEN God created man in His own image...male and female, He created them. Then God blessed them and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

I am continually amazed that you and I, men and women, were created in the image and the likeness of the eternal God. I still do not completely understand all that entails. We have personality. We are triune beings, having body, soul and spirit. We have the freedom of choice. We are creative. And we have "seed" in us, so that we can multiply and be fruitful. Much of creation has the potential to multiply because God, the Creator, fashioned us with the ability to reproduce.

Gardens are all about multiplication, fruitfulness and reproduction. And because this blog is about the Garden of Life, I remind you that LIFE is about fruitfulness and reproduction.

This principle of multiplication is especially precious and meaningful to me at this season of life because I am going to be a grandmother again. Our family is growing and multiplying and we are very excited.

However, multiplication does not only refer to gardens and to having children. It also applies, and maybe even especially applies, to our spiritual lives.

We are told in the Bible that each person is given talents, gift, abilities. Those abilities are "seeds" God has placed in our lives for the purpose of multiplying His Kingdom.

Jesus told a parable about several servants who were given talents by their master. Some of the servants invested their talents. Because they were wise, they were rewarded by the master. However, one was afraid of the master, and as a result he hid his talent until the master returned, rather than using it in a way that would cause it to multiply. What he had was subsequently taken away from him and given to others who had used their talents wisely.

This parable refers to God as the master and to us as those who serve Him, and applies to the talents and gifts He has given to us. We are not to hide them, but to use them for His Kingdom and His glory.

What has God given to you? What is the seed in your life? You may not think your gifts or talents are worth much. But each of us has been given something by God and His gifts are ALWAYS valuable.

Seed must be released for it to grow. If you hold onto the seed for yourself and hid it from others, it will not reproduce. It will not touch the lives of those around you. But even the tinest seeds can grow into huge plants.

God uses the most comon and seemingly insignificant items for His purposes. Moses had a rod which God used to bring about miracles. Gideon had a trumpet God used to defeat the enemy. One small child had 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread which Jesus multiplied supernaturally to feed more than 5000 people. Peter had a small boat and a fishing net.

A woman in the Old testament (1 Samuel 17:8-16) had a very small amount of oil and flour which she was going to use to make the final meal for her and her son before they died during a famine. However, she made the loaf of bread and gave it to God's prophet, Elijah. Afterwards, her oil vessel was never empty and the flour did not dimish. She and her son ate many meals from it until the famine was over.

What they had was "seed." God multiplied the seed and caused it to grow and multiply.

There was a time in our lives when we moved to an expensive area of the nation and money was very tight. We barely had enough to pay our rent, our utilities and purchase what we needed. As we prayed and sought the Lord, He directed us to give away some of the finances we did have. We obeyed. Shortly after that I noticed that though the four of us were eating cereal every day, the box was not emptying. And we drank milk each day, but the milk carton was not emptying. We ate from the cereal box and drank from the gallon carton of milk every day for two weeks and neither ran out. One day, I was concerned because I had driven our car for more than one week and the gauge indicated that the gas tank was full. Charlie took the car to the gasoline station and tried to put more gas in the tank, and none would go in. The tank was full. God was supernaturally multiplying what we needed.

Ask the Lord to show you what you have that is seed. Maybe it is financial. Maybe your seed is a gift of finances you are to give to someone in great need. Your seed may be an experience you had in the past that will touch the life of someone else who needs compassion and understanding. It may be an area of brokenness in your life where God has healed you and brough victory. Now you can minister freedom and encouragement to others who are walking in a similar place of failure or defeat. Maybe your seed is a kind word or a smile. Maybe your seed is a prayer you pray for the sick. We each have a voice. We can use our voice to speak the Word of God into the lives of those who are discouraged, fearful or dying. We can tell others of His love. His Word brings life.

God's creation if full of potential. Do not ignore your seed, or hide it. Let God show you what He has given to you as a gift, that you are to give away, and invest in the lives of others. As you do, He will multiply it for His Kingdom.

Timing is important

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven...there is a time there for every purpose and for every work (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 17b.)

Timing is critical in the issues of life. As we think of seasons, we often give our own predictions of when things can, will or should happen. However, only God knows the perfect timing for everything in life. There IS a time for every purpose and every work. And if we move on our own reasoning or feelings, we can miss God's best, because we are not moving in His divine order and purpose. His timing is always perfect and is a crucial element of walking in His plan for our lives.

While working in the garden a few weeks ago, I noticed that the sugar pea plants were dead, before producing peas. The weather man predicted that spring and early summer would be cool this year, so we went ahead and planted the sugar peas though it was late according to the recommended time for planting. The weather man was wrong and when 90-100 degree heat came early, the plants withered and dried up. Timing. It is important for life. We missed the best timing for the sugar peas.

Bearing good fruit involves timing. One of our peach trees was loaded with red peaches that looked ready to pick, but the peaches were still very hard. The ones we picked too soon were green and not very tasty. But, we waited too long to pick the last few and the birds and ants feasted on them. It takes the right timing.

Our apricots began to turn yellow, but were not ready to pick. Peaches and apricots that are not allowed to ripen on the vine, have little or no flavor. The first time I tasted apricots from our tree, I was amazed at how delicious they were. There is no comparison with the green ones we picked too early. The same is true of tomatoes. The ones we grow in our garden that ripen on the vines are full of flavor not found in those purchased at the store.

So, how do we know what is perfect timing? Farmers who produce fruit and vegetables for a living, study and learn from their years of experience. It takes knowledge and understanding.

In our spiritual lives, the way we know God's perfect timing is to listen to His Spirit. He knows the timing of all things. He is creator. He is all-knowing and knows all the details of every person and every situation of life. His plans are written down for each of our lives even before we were born (Psalm 139:16).

He is faithful to urge me forward or restrain me with His inner voice in my spirit. When I try to analyze situations with my mind, I easily get out of sync with God. My human reasoning does not know the perfect timing, but His Spirit does. My mind is often impatient and does not want to wait. Waiting takes patience, disciplne and trust. Rushing ahead comes from my emotions, fears or impulses fed by anxiety. Lagging behind comes from my fears and doubts. God's timing is intertwined with His peace. He leads me with His peace, not with stress, fear or anxiety. At times I simply want something to be over, or I want to "get on with life." When I resist those impulses and wait for His timing, there is wonderful peace and order.

I pray that you, too, will hear His voice and know His amazing timing for your life. He is faithful and leads us when we stop and ask.

Delayed...

Dear Friends,

It has been several months since I posted anything. We certainly were not sitting around sipping tea and eating bon-bons. Actually, I am reminded of the scripture from Song of Solomon that talks about the "little foxes that spoil the vines." Charlie and I have walked through a season where it seemed that those "little foxes" have been trying to steal the peace and joy of our lives.

My experience, however, is that spiritual fruit can grow much stronger in times of adversity, rather than in easy, smooth times. With that, Charlie and I should have a major crop in our lives this year!

His mother went in the hospital shortly after the first of the year and alternated between the hospital, rehab, and then hospice care until the first week of March when, at the age of 87 years old, she went home to be with the Lord. We spent much time going back and forth to see her, and Charlie spent time taking care of her finances and other issues of life that she was no longer able to take care for.

One day while I was at a doctor's appointment and he was at the hospital visiting her, and then taking care of her administrative work, 4 men broke into our house around noon, ransacked it, and stole about 25-30 items, including our computers.

Our garden is finally planted for the season, and something is eating the plants. What can we do to fortify and protect plants so that they will grow strong and bear fruit?

In the natural, there are pesticides that can be put on the plants, but we do not want to use poisons that are destructive to our health when we eat the fruit and vegetables. We are searching for natural recipes to mix and pour on the plants which will keep the grasshoppers, crickets and other bugs from eating the plants (and maybe even the rabbits), but will not be poisonous, causing harm to those who eat the fruit.

In the spiritual realm, what will protect the fruit? Honestly, I believe that praise, forgiveness and thanksgiving are the most potent protection agents there are. As we have walked through this season, I find myself pressing into the Lord with worship and thanksgiving. He is still God.

When Charlie called me and told me that our home had been broken into, my heart quickly began to praise and thank the Lord that we did not walk in on those men while they were in our home. If Charlie had come home with them in the house, we agreed that he probably would have done something stupid...maybe a better word is UNWISE. Those men walked out of the house with one of his rifles in their hands. Had I come home with 4 lawless men in the house, I don't know what I would have done.

Every man is born with a sinful nature (Romans 3:23). Knowing that truth in our hearts, we cannot help but forgive others for their sin because God has forgiven us. And we will only be forgiven if we forgive others (Matthew 6:12, 14-15 Forgive us our sins AS WE forgive others.) We repeat that prayer often in church, but living it in our hearts helps us to guard our hearts from evil.

I have considered that those men breaking into our home might have been the only way they would get prayer for the salvation of their souls. There might not be another person in the world praying for them. We are praying for their salvation, and that their lives with change.

If we know in our hearts that God is sovereign and that He has promised to turn everything for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28), then when trials come, we call on Him to use those very situations for our good and for His glory. His promises are true and He cannot lie. He will do what He said.

So, Charlie and I wait for Him to redeem all things in our lives. That does not mean that I expect a return of money. MUCH MORE, I want prosperity of soul. My deepest desire is to serve Him with a pure heart and to glorify Him in my attitudes and heart desires.

Losing things in the natural has caused me to take spiritual inventory. What is important to me? Do I value things of the world, the material "stuff" I own? Is there anything I own that I would not be able to live without?

My answer is RELATIONSHIPS are the most valuable thing in my life. First, my relationship with God. He promises to never leave or abandon me. I can NEVER be separated from His love (Romans 8:38-39...For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God whichc is in Christ Jesus our Lord.) What a powerful promise. And the presence of God is LIFE! Nothing I own can compete with that. And because my relationship with Him is the most valuable thing in my life, I want to please Him in everything I say, think or do.

Then there is my relationship with my husband (of almost 43 years!), my children and grandchildren, family and friends. The only thing that can separate us is if you do not have eternal life which comes by faith in Jesus Christ. So, I spend much time praying for my friends and family who have not surrendered their life to Jesus Christ and are even now separated from His love. I pray their hearts will be filled with His love and His Spirit. I want to spend eternity with each of you, together enjoying and serving Him.

So, is there a place in your life where the enemy, the pests, the little foxes are trying to come against you and steal the fruit of your life...the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, goodness or faithfulness? With me, will your turn your heart toward the lover of your soul, and praise and thank Him for all He has done for us, for His promises, for His faithfulness, for His protection and provision and above all for His amazing love, grace and forgiveness? With praises lifted up, I suspect the enemy will not be able to hang around long.

The last, but very important thing, is that as I consider the temporal things of life, I realize that many people in the world live in places where they live in fear of lawlessness, where people steal, kill, abuse, rape, even own other people. I think of those who are helpless and who do not have protection from the law...women, children and those who are weak and frail. Many never dream of owning a house, much less having insurance or computers. Their concerns are basic - for their life, food, water, clothes, and perhaps a blanket to keep warm on cold nights.

I heard last week about even entire villages of people who are not considered to be
"people." They have no birth certificates, no record or knowledge of their birth date, cannot vote, do not have a voice, have no rights, no protection in their nation...and
are considered less valuable then even the animals in the nation. As we consider lives in America, let us not ignore or forget those millions of people in the world who are destitute, fearful and living without the basics of life.

I pray they will have spiritual life. Many of these people have come to know Jesus, and now, for the first time in their lives have an identity. They weep over the idea that God knew them before they were born, loved them, and had a purpose for their lives. WOW. May we boldly share others with in the world about that love and destiny.

Finishing Strong

Recently I have been thinking about the “end of life.” That is because we have spent time with people who are very elderly and are having health problems. They are in nursing homes or the hospital, with professionals who are trying to help them have some quality life for their last days or months.

Often when we are young we don't take much time to stop and think about the last days of our lives. Yet, looking forward and setting goals is important at all ages of our lives, and we never know when the "end of life" will come.

Charlie and I have spent much time together making those plans. For example, when we had babies, we talked about what kind of life we wanted for them. One of our desires was for our daughters to go to college. So, as they grew up, we never said "if" you go to college; We always said, "when" you go. As my husband approached the last few years in the military, we spent time talking about what we wanted "retirement" to be like. We prayed, talked and planned about what was ahead and what we had to do to get there. And now as we are "senior citizens" we spend time talking about what we want for our last years and what we need to do to prepare ourselves for the future.

We do know that God directs our steps (Proverbs 20:24), and we always seek to yield to His plans. But He has said that He can do exceeding abundantly more than anything we can ask or think of (Ephesians 3:20). So, we make our plans, hold them lightly, and trust that His plans will be even better than what we can imagine.

I am one of those people who learns from others…both how to do things and how not to do things. As I have watched others growing older, I have made lists of things I do not want to do or be:

- Repeat myself and my stories over and over.
- Ignore people because I am losing my hearing and it is too difficult to either ask them to repeat themselves or to watch their mouths and read their lips.
- Not be interested in others.
- Have little to talk about other than bodily functions.
- Have little interest except for what I eat.
- Not be interested in what is going on in the world.
- Be so self focused that I don’t show interest in and love for others – which can be a battle in life on matter what age we are.
- Use self-pity to manipulate others...or use anything to manipulate or control others.
- Have nothing to do but watch television.
- Leave my home and important information of my life in such disarray that when I die, my children have to clean out all the “stuff” I have accumulated.

My husband and I have even talked about ways we can help each other not to do those things that are on our lists. We are often heard saying things such as, "honey, I think we told them that story before." :-)

I have also made lists of things I do want to do or be when I am living my last days:

- Finish life strong, at least strong in spirit, even if not strong in body.
- Leave a legacy to my children and grandchildren of loving God, and loving family.
- Be involved in my children’s and grandchildren’s lives as much as possible every day I am alive.
- Be a prayer warrior until my last breath.
- Spend more time looking forward than backwards and not wishing life away because the world has changed.
- Have discernment and know what is going on in the world, as well as know the “signs of the times.”
- Continue to grow in wisdom.
- Life each day to the fullest - as much as I am able, using the resources that I have.
- Be a blessing to others no matter what my circumstances.

I began the list by saying I want to finish strong in life. It is easy to start strong…in projects and goals, in marriage, in commitment, in resolutions, in determinations. We all know, however, how difficult it is to continue in those things and especially to finish. How many of us have set New Year’s resolutions and not seen them last through January. But, there is great satisfaction in ending the year and finishing the goal set 12 months ago. It takes planning, patience and perseverance to finish strong.

This morning the Lord told me that TODAY is the first day – the beginning – of the rest of my life. Today I can be different. Today I can make choices that will impact how I run the rest of the race and finish life. Today I can decide to exercise, eat healthy, make better choices, love others, spend time with the Lord, grow in wisdom and knowledge, reach out to someone else in need, focus my attention on things that have value.

This day, NOW, is all I have. Yesterday is behind. Tomorrow is not yet here. I am not even assured of tomorrow. But what I do today will affect tomorrow. Each present moment is a gift from God. What will I do with it? That will be my gift back to Him.

An aspect of God’s character is that He saves the best for last (John 2:10). Our last days should be the most satisfying. But, a satisfying tomorrow will depend on the choices we make today. I am asking myself, "How will you cross the finish line? Are there choices you need to make today to change the direction of your life? Are you willing to pay the price now to make those changes? Or will you just sit and watch life go by the same as it was yesterday and the day before? Will you get to the end of life and have regrets or wish you had done things differently?"

My prayer is that each of us will do today what it takes to finish life strong. So, I will stop writing and go do those things that I need to do today…