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Lessons From the Garden By Joseph Horton Many of us have a garden, but have we learned the lessons they hold for us?
ast year, after not having done so for quite some time, my wife and I had the opportunity to garden on a larger scale than four or five tomato plants and a few potted peppers.
The potato experience My wife and daughter did much of the planning for what we would plant (I simply tried to provide the brake on going too far overboard by planting too much). They decided that potatoes should definitely be a big part of the garden, so we planted two varieties. Because the seed had been planted in good ground, we were able to enjoy a reasonably bountiful harvest. Now, I'm a potato lover. And two things I've loved since I was a youngster is gathering eggs and digging potatoes. So when the day came for harvesting our potato crop, I was looking forward to the task.
As we looked back on the planning of the garden, we determined that we had planted about 15 pounds of potatoes in all. When I totaled what we had dug, we realized that we had enjoyed a ten-fold increase (actually a bit more). We dug 167 pounds of potatoes from our little garden plot. I realize that success is oftentimes measured in relative terms. What seems like a bounteous harvest to one might not seem so successful to another who is accustomed to enjoying far greater success as a gardener. However, when you find you have progressed from harvesting "marbles" to harvesting one-pound potatoes, you tend to see the outcome in a very positive light. As I was totaling our harvest, I couldn't help but think of the parable of the sower. I know that we all marveled at how God had blessed us with good weather and good circumstances that led to what we considered to be a very successful gardening experience -- successful enough that we are gardening on a slightly larger scale this year. We're looking forward to seeing what the result of our efforts will be. The potato lessons But what's the point? Simply this: if we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear (Matthew 13:9), we have ample opportunity to be reminded, day in and day out, through very simple instruments, of the work God is doing as He interacts with human beings. Further, we have ample opportunity to teach our children and our grandchildren about the marvels of God's creation by something as simple as planting a seed.
Finally, we are reminded that we can use these simple experiences to teach the young about the awesome creation that God has made. Gardeners: "be fruitful and multiply!" Recommended reading For more information, please request or download our free booklet, . Copyright 2010 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
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Origin of article "Lessons From the Garden"
Keywords: garden creation marvels glory of God
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