A Time for Everything

It is time to dig up my garden; time to call it done. It is time to let the ground rest. The plants have died; there will be no more fruit this year.

The garden was a bust this year – the snow peas failed, and the squirrels ate all my green tomatoes. I harvested some cucumbers and peppers, but not very many. Sometimes life is like that. We put in the effort, but seem to reap little or no reward.

I have faith that God is in even these times, maybe especially in these times. Maybe the reward of this year’s garden was the survival of a wild animal. Maybe the seeds from that stolen fruit will produce volunteer tomatoes in the woods beyond my creeks, nourishing animals for years to come. Perhaps the fruit it produced was these musings, these lessons.

But the summer and this garden have come to its end.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

There is a sadness to ending the garden for the year: no more fresh growth; no new blossoms; no need for me to walk the garden daily. Where did the summer go? But there is a relief as well: no more weeding; no frustration with failure; no constant demands for attention. Are you ready for some football? There’s an excitement for what Autumn promises: Bible studies are getting back together; my daughter’s expecting twins; I need to prepare for family gatherings and holidays. Such excitement on the horizon!

A time for everything.

Now is the time to let the ground rest, lie fallow. Rest is a vital part of the growing season, allowing the soil to rejuvenate. The ground, like you and me, needs rest, sleep, vacation, Sabbath.

Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work. Exodus 20:8-10

Perhaps this blog needs to take a rest as well, but not quite yet. I have a few more thoughts I would like to share over the next weeks, not all of which are garden related. If you have subscribed to this blog or are a follower, WordPress will notify you of my posts. If you are getting these posts through an email from me, please let me know if you would like to continue receiving it, because I will no longer send out unsolicited emails.

As for future gardens and plans, I am trying to stay open to the Spirit’s guidance. God willing, I will have a garden next year; God willing, there will be something to harvest. But for now, I am pulling up the dead plants, taking down the fence, and letting the grass grow.

This season is over. I look forward to what God holds in store for me during the next one.

Betsy

All things came into being through Him, and without Him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. John 1:3-4