Bountiful Harvest

Several months ago, I had the genius idea to join a new community garden at a church down the street. I got the largest size plot (15x10) thinking I would have lots to share with other people. Some of you are already laughing because you know how I am with being ambitious and having BIG ideas and expectations, and I get really excited about something and go all out. And you know they don't always work out the way I think because life happens;)

I trade off with someone else watering so I only have to go out every other day, but even that seems to have been a challenge with two busy boys who like to "explore" other gardens and crops. So I get in and out of there as fast as I can...which means my poor garden gets neglected. Add on that this is the first year the land has been used for gardening, so there are TONS of weeds and grass that's grow in. Plus the fact I have been gone for two weeks, and you get a bountiful harvest of weeds! It's actually embarrassing...it's like a meadow of weeds. Just ask my parents...I'm sure they will comment on the validity of this statement.

So today I decided to tackle this project. I went out for almost three hours pulling weed, after weed, after weed...with plenty of time to think, which is actually really nice and rare that I slow down and have some quiet in my life. I got to know many different kinds of weeds, and found some I am very fond of (the HUGE ones with very shallow roots as I get a lot done with very little effort) and some that I was not so fond of (the grass clumps and the tall skinny ones with roots that seem as though they are 10 feet long).

I got to thinking about how sometimes our lives just need a good "weeding." We tend to let stuff creep up and grow little bits at a time, then realize we have a big problem. I got to thinking about how Jesus helps to weed our garden...no matter how many or how few our weeds. He helps us even when it's become embarrassing. I thought about how the seeds that we plant can yield such different crops, and such different qualities and how that applies to our spiritual lives. How I have some corn that is so tall and looks like it is healthy on the outside, but it's not producing any corn! That is me. I might look like I have got it all together, but I'm not producing any fruit! Something I heard about at church yesterday was a missions trip in October to Mexico to work on various projects (one being a community garden), and thought about how maybe that's what the Lord is calling me to do. At the beginning of this year I had a feeling that I was meant to do something big, but had no idea what that would be that would impact others. Volleyball and my ministry to the high school girls there always came to mind, and they are still heavy on my heart, but maybe God has something bigger in mind for me? Would you pray about that opportunity for me? They said it would be great for couples, but I don't think Andrew could take time off of work, and frankly, I don't know if I could miss so much volleyball coaching, or could afford it, but God can work out all those details if it's meant to be.

Anyways, this is another "deep" post where I'm struggling/working through what God wants me to do in this life to really make a difference for Him!