In recent years, I have taken up gardening—or, to be more accurate, gardening has taken up me! Through these past few months, I have come to understand there is something special about a garden. In the beginning, God chose to begin all of mankind by placing him in the garden. In the garden, there is planting, watering, development, growth, and life. Sadly, there is also disappointment, loss, and death in the garden. It was also in the garden that God watched His Son give up His will for the Father’s will for mankind. The garden has become my favorite place to do my morning devotions. When my children wake up in the morning, I can hear them as they come trampling to find Mommy in the garden. They greet each of the plants and tell them “Good morning! How’s it growing?” The garden has become a source of many lessons for me personally.
Although many lessons can be found among these leafy greens, one lesson became particularly clear this morning. A month or so ago, I planted yellow crookneck squash seeds and watched with wonder and delight as they transformed from seeds into sprouts, then into a giant jungle with which I cannot begin to keep up! I squealed with delight when I saw my first fruits develop—finally, a reward for all of my labor! Then, to my horror, I discovered what has become one of my greatest foes in the garden—pickleworms. My new morning routine consists of garden devotions followed by heartfelt praying and rigorous spraying for my squash plants. With heartbreak, I have watched plant after plant succumb to the pickleworms as their leaves wither, their stalks droop, and their fruit ultimately fails.
“What is the point?!?” I cried out in sincere frustration one morning. I thought to myself, “Why should I continue battling these pickleworms? Is the fruit really worth it? I have spent countless hours working this soil, protecting these plants, and providing them with water and nutrition. All of this work, for what?” When I peeked behind yet another heartbreak of hole-riddled squash, I saw…a squash blossom! Hope! Quickly, I ran to hand-pollinate the squash with some zucchini blossoms I saw earlier that morning. In my excitement and hope, I forgot all about the heartache of seeing the fruit that succumbed to the pickleworm. Instead, I dedicated myself to the task of making sure the next squash would make it!
My life lesson from the garden that morning was much like the parable of the sower. He went forth to sow seed in Matthew 13, and …some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. The sower was faced with heartbreak when seeing some of his seed be devoured by fowls, scorched by the sun, and choked by thorns. He must have also asked himself, “What is the point?” That is, until one day, he saw the fruit come forth. The hope that was desired had finally come! It was finally worth it all!
Proverbs 13:12 says, Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. Maybe you are facing this same situation in your own life. Maybe you are seeing those lives in which you have invested time and prayer be caught up in the sin and succumb to the worms of the world. The heartbreak is real. There is no doubt about that; but we cannot forsake the hope that lies in future generations by staying defeated by some losses in the past. There are fruits just waiting to be harvested if we dedicate ourselves to continue in the work! In the garden, there is going to be heartbreak, but there is also hope. As the Lord touched my heart that morning, I pray this thought resonates with you that there is always hope!
by Beth Payton
