Many of the things I have done so far in my garden – the fencing, the weed cloth, the tomato cages – improve my garden but aren’t truly essential to the plants. Water is essential. Without water, the plants will perish.

Gardens can get water naturally through rain, automatically with a water timer and a stationary hose, or by hand with a hose and spray nozzle. But the plants have to have water.

Many of the things I do as a Christian improve my relationship with God, but aren’t essential. Prayer is essential. Without prayer, without conversation with God, the relationship will perish.

In the spring, in Tennessee, I don’t need to worry about watering my garden much; it rains a lot. Nature (God) provides the water with no effort on my part. Sometimes in my life, prayer arises with no effort or thought on my part. Prayer can be a natural outpouring of gratitude, awe, need, or concern. I think, ideally, this is the way it should be. I think, in the kingdom of God, this is how it is.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

But we’re not there yet. In my world, I need to water my plants. I need to make a plan for watering my garden, and I need to make a plan for prayer.

After Nick’s cancer diagnosis, we went to the ocean several times a year, often for a week or two. Some of these trips occurred as the garden was growing, so we needed an automated watering system. He buried a pipeline to the spigot, attached it to a soaker hose spread throughout the garden, and installed a water timer. When we were gone, the timer would turn on the water every evening and the garden would get water. Many times our prayers lives are similar; there is an automatic nature to them. We pray at meals, before we go to bed, at Sunday Worship, before and after Bible studies and church meetings. And as long as the water is flowing, and the prayer is sincere, this is a wonderful way to water your garden.

But if my schedule is flexible and I will be in town, I prefer to water by hand. There’s something about standing face to face with plants, gauging how much water each plant needs, observing the fresh growth and the weeds. It’s more personal somehow, more intimate. When and how much I water may change based on the day’s circumstances. I can wash off the bird droppings and the dust with a light mist.

And if I have not over-scheduled myself, and my mind is not elsewhere, this is how I like to pray. Just set aside a time during the day to stand (sit or kneel) face to face with God, gauging my needs and His desires, observing my fresh growth and my weeds. It’s more personal somehow, more intimate. When and for what I pray may change based on the day’s circumstances. I can ask for and receive forgiveness, gently given by one who knows exactly what I need.

The important thing is to pray, to water my garden. The manner, the situation, the impetus, none of that is as important as the actual heartfelt act of prayer.

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2

Even the words don’t matter.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26

Keep the water flowing dear friends; keep praying.

Betsy

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He is able to do far more than we can even imagine. Ephesians 3:20

I gently squeeze the container around the starter plant and free the plant carefully from its constraints. In my hand, covered in dirt and grime, and looking like something from a horror flick, the thin roots wrap around each other and mass together.

These roots freed from the container seem fragile. They are precious. What happens with these roots will determine what happens to the plant. I know roots can be strong and immense. Roots can reach across the yard, wrap around underground pipes, break up sidewalks and streets. But these roots, new as they are, are delicate.

I realize that this is the only time I get to see my plant’s roots. They are not pretty. But they are vital; critical to the production of fruit. Without a healthy root system, the plant won’t grow and bear fruit. Appearances can be so deceiving. Without the “ugly” root, the “pretty” flower never blooms. The squiggly, swarming white roots remind me of intestines.

The members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we cloth with greater honor. I Corinthians 12:22

Once I have carefully planted my starter plants, there is a period of unseen activity. Nothing changes on the surface, but the roots are spreading out, reaching deeper, finding water and nutrients, establishing themselves. Have you ever heard something very inspiring that seemed to rumble around in your head for weeks on end before it ever produced any visible change in your life? That is the word taking root.

Letting God’s Word take root is an important step to bearing the fruit He wants. I need to be like Mary and “ponder these things in my heart.” (Luke 2:19). Too often, I jump to show off the new thing I have learned, without allowing it the time to develop a proper root system.

I tried for a while to “give to all you ask of you.” (Matt 5:43) Exhausting and impractical. My dollar bills here and there accomplished little and put me on every call list in the nation. Once I allowed to the verse to grow roots, it lead to a giving based more on the needs of those God had put before me, and less on my own interests. My giving became less corporate and more personal. I believe God has used the fruit produced to answer some very specific needs. I just needed to give it time to grow roots.

The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while and in a time of testing fall away. Luke 8:13

And just like the roots themselves, sometimes the root growing process is not glamorous. There can be some ugly battles underground between those roots and the dirt that was there. I need to do my part to help the roots grow. Give them time, water them regularly, protect them from predators. For me, that means spending time quietly thinking about what is growing, what it may look like in maturity, what hidden hard places are limiting its growth. Perhaps even offering an “ugly cry,” or two to water it.

There may even be a period of “root shock,” when the plant seems to regress once you’ve transplanted it. The new life, the new idea, is taking a little time to adjust to its new environment. I need patience – with the plant, with nature, with myself, with others. Because once the root establishes itself, the plant starts growing and wonderful fruit results.

As you therefore have received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith. Colossians 2:6

You have planted a new garden. Let the starter plants take root. Victory is on the horizon.

Betsy

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In Him all things were created. John 1:3

As I turn from my spring garden, the sugar snaps, to my summer garden, the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, I am amazed at how different the gardens are.

My sugar snap garden is all scattered and messy. Despite my efforts to sow the seeds in rows, the plants are helter-skelter around the garden; some growing in clusters; some outliers. There are weeds growing in and among the plants. Some plants are tall; others still hover near the ground. It’s messy. It’s growing, but it’s messy.

My faith looks like this sometimes, scattered and messy, growing helter-skelter, distracted by unwanted thought-weeds.

My summer garden, by comparison, is neat and orderly. I have placed the starter plants in a row, and I see no weeds. It’s pretty. Someone else has grown the plants from seed, so all I need to do is transplant them into my garden. Someone else has brought these plants to this level of maturity and provided them to me free of weeds, neat and orderly.

I am very grateful to those who grew these plants from seed. I appreciate their determination, effort and ability and am happy to compensate them for it. Starter plants make my garden easier.

I am very grateful as well to those Christians who have shared their growth with us, so all I need to do is transplant it into my life. I appreciate their determination, effort and ability and am happy to compensate them for it. Their theology makes my faith journey easier, less messy.

From the bed where it was planted it was transplanted to good soil by abundant waters, so that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine. Ezekiel 17:8

I do not have to grow every plant from seed; I do not have to develop every element of my faith on my own. Others have better minds, more insight, more determination to tackle complex issues; I can trust them to develop a theology that is less helter-skelter and less distracted by unwanted thought-weeds.

C. S. Lewis, Charles Stanley, John Stott, N.T. Wright, Lee Strobel, Richard Wurmbrand, Henri Nouwen – what wonderful starter plants they have given me for my Victory Garden! My ministers and teachers use theology taught by St. Augustine, Thomas Merton, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, CK Chesterton, John Calvin and so many others. What gifts!

So what are you wanting to grow in your garden? Faith under persecution? Richard Wurmbrand. Stillness and calm? Thomas Merton or Henri Nouwen. Discipline? A daily Bible. Rational defense of faith (Apologetics)? Lee Strobel. There are books on prayer, spiritual growth, practical theology, church creeds, biblical interpretation, warfare, grace and love. There are more resources available to you for your Christian growth than there are starter plants at Home Depot.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the scared writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 3:15

All these resources can be a little overwhelming. But no one expects you to buy and plant everything at Home Depot, and no one expects you to read everything available on Amazon. Hopefully, you don’t expect that of yourself either.

Just know that you don’t have to go it alone. When you are struggling with an issue, use the resources available. Find out what the brilliant thinkers over the past 2000 years have had to say on the subject. Most likely, this thought you are struggling with is not new. Take advantage of the already developed thoughts that are out there. It will save you a lot of time and messiness.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I appreciate your sharing your time with me. I hope you’ll join me next week when the subject is roots!

Betsy

 I am the Alpha and the Omega. Revelation 1:8

It’s late April, time to get the summer garden growing. I get the tiller out again and all the fencing and begin to tear up new ground. It doesn’t take long before my hands and shoulders hurt. I call in help, but he is not Nick. All this tilling, all this hard labor, Nick did all this. Suddenly, it is all beyond my ability. I lay on my back on the ground and cry. Take me now, Lord, it is too much. I can sense His gentle smile: silly child, you can do this; look at the sugar snaps growing. And rising, I look at the growing garden, and get back to work.

The sugar snaps are growing. The tilling and fencing and planting involved have produced growing plants. Surely, if I can grow sugar snaps from seeds, I can grow tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers from starter plants. Right?

His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Matthew 25:23

And I’ve learned something about myself. I don’t like to weed. I yank out weeds, dig them up, and the next day they reappear. Looking at my pretty sugar snaps, I see weeds all around them.

Nick didn’t like to weed either. We designed our garden specifically to take advantage of a wonderful garden product – weed barrier cloth. Weed cloth is 3-4 feet wide and covers the tilled ground, suppressing the unwanted plant’s access to sunlight and air. Basically, the cloth prevents the weeds from ever gaining purchase in my garden. And preventing a weed from growing is far easier than pulling it once it’s grown.

I wonder if I could do this in my life. I can’t stop weeds from sprouting; I can’t stop negative unholy thoughts from springing up unwanted. But I can deprive them of sunlight and air. I can prevent them from ever gaining purchase in my life. All I need is a layer of protection.

Isn’t that what just happened? When the task seemed overwhelming, when the wave of self pity and grief overtook me, I cried out to God. I lifted my eyes and saw the sugar snaps, green and growing. God has been faithful in the past, rewarding my efforts; God will be faithful in the future.

Those sugar snap plants, the evidence of God’s faithfulness, encourage me, literally instill me with courage. I can do this; with God’s help, I can do this. I pray for strength and help. I remember Paul’s words to Timothy.

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

And that is my weed cloth. It is the Holy Spirit reminding me of all that God has done for me, for people I know, and for generations before me. It is recalling the stories of God’s faithful love as recounted in the Bible and in thousands of years of testimony. I can read any of a million books of other’s stories; I can recall my own story. As I lift my eyes from my present troubles, I see those sugar snaps, green and growing.

I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your deeds of old. Psalm 77:11

Today, I till up more ground, put more fencing, and lay weed barrier cloth the length of the garden. It is a lot of work, but past gardens encourage me. Victory is within reach.

Betsy

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I appreciate your encouragement. Thank you for following this blog and sharing it with others. Enjoy the Spring!

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 32:1

As I wait for the sugar snaps to grow, I think about what else I want to grow. It is almost time to plant my summer garden – the tomatoes and cucumbers and bell peppers. Do I want to add summer squash this year? Do I want to grow yellow tomatoes for my friend who is allergic to the red ones? Should I rotate my crops?

When should I will plant? Never until after tax day, but perhaps even later than that, depending on the weather and my schedule. Unlike the sugar snaps, summer plants won’t survive a freeze.

When should I till? Do I have weed barrier cloth? Do I have enough straw? How early should I buy the starter plants? Where will I keep them until I plant them? Do I need a soaker hose? Do I need a water timer?

I think about the garden a lot. It’s better than other things I could think about. I could self-obsess and consider my personality traits. I could relive the past or wonder what the writer of Yellowstone‘s family is like. I could be concerned about the Kardashians. More likely, I could wallow in grief. Instead, I am thinking about the garden.

What we think about has power.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds; so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

I see the world through the lens of whatever fills my thoughts. When gardening fills my thoughts, you can tell me whatever is going on in your life, and I can tell you how that relates to gardening.

Jesus tells us to “Love the Lord… with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27, Matt. 22:37). Paul instructs us to “pray without ceasing.” (I Thess. 5:17). My mind is to be engaged in my Christian growth. I am to see the world through the lens of His Word. I am to think about God and Jesus. Because what I think about has power.

But that thinking, that imagination, needs to be based on biblical truth.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. Proverbs 3:5

Just as I need to trust professional gardeners, millennia of experience, and proven techniques when I garden, so I need to trust God, the Bible and reliable witnesses when I am growing closer to God.

And the best way to get my brain actively involved is to read the Bible and think about it during the day. Ponder it. Meditate on it. Let it soak in. Keep reading that difficult verse and praying over it until the Spirit explains it to you.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. John 14:26

So, while the sugar snaps are growing but it’s not yet time to plant the cucumbers, I will take this time to ponder all I want my garden to be. I will engage my mind and my imagination; and I will think about the garden.

So, while I am growing closer to God, but it’s not yet time to be with Him in heaven, I will take this time to ponder all I want my relationship with Him to be. I will engage my mind and my imagination; and I will think about God.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

What are you thinking about?

Betsy

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By this they will know that you are mine, that you love one another as I loved you. John 13:35

The sugar snaps are up! There are little green sprouts in my garden! In fact, there are a lot of little green sprouts in my garden. And not all them are the same. Some of these little sprouts must not be from the seeds I planted. Which are sugar snaps and which are weeds? Which are the plants I want to grow?

I have a friend who is excellent at weeding, who has offered to help. Perhaps I should ask her. Maybe she can distinguish between the wanted and unwanted sprouts.

The garden itself provides some clues. I planted my seeds in rows. Similar looking sprouts all in a row are probably sugar snaps; the outliers are probably weeds. Over time, I’ve gotten better at distinguishing between the different green sprigs (practice makes perfect!), but I still have to examine them to tell.

Probably the best first step is to learn what young sugar snaps, as well as young clover and crabgrass, look like. That would make distinguishing between them easier. Ask google; read a book; talk to people who know. Perhaps I should do the same when I am having trouble distinguishing what is growing in my life. Ask God; read the Bible; talk to a minister.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. I John 4:1

Do I even pay that much attention to what is growing in my life? It is tempting sometimes to plant the seeds and walk away. It would be easier to assume that any idea that came to me while reading the Bible came from God; that all my motivations were pure; and that no weeds had invaded my garden. But if I examine them, I know that not every voice I hear is the Holy Spirit’s; that sometimes I have an agenda and a bias; and that not all those sprouts are sugar snaps. I need to be careful.

Of course, I wouldn’t be struggling with crabgrass and clover if I hadn’t started a garden at all. They would still be there, of course, having their way in my yard; I just wouldn’t be concerned about them. Isn’t this the way of life?

In God Calling, the authors write: “Remember too, it is only struggle that hurts. In sloth, spiritual, or mental, or physical, there is no sense of failure; but with action, with effort, you are conscious not of strength but of weakness – at least at first.” (March 3)

When you walk that first mile, when you pull everything out of that first closet, when you deny yourself that first dessert – it’s hard. It seems to get worse before it gets better. You feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what you have started. There may be physical pain involved. I look at all those green sprouts in my garden and wonder if I have lost my mind.

But I will not let this inertia, my ignorance, or those weeds win. Because, as concerned as I could be about those sprouts which aren’t sugar snaps, the amazing and wonderful thing is that some of the sprouts are sugar snaps. God is growing something in my garden. It is their presence which makes me aware of the presence of the unwanted stuff. It is the desire for the sugar snaps to grow and thrive and bear fruit which motivates me to pull up the crabgrass and clover.

And we all have a friend who is excellent at weeding, who has offered to help. Perhaps I should ask Him. I know that He can distinguish between the wanted and unwanted sprouts.

But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. John 14:26

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Betsy

How much more will your father in Heaven give His Spirit to His children. Luke 11:13

Every day, I go out and look at the ground. I stare at the tilled soil inside my fence, but it looks no different today than it did yesterday. I planted the seeds, but nothing seems to be happening. Is this working? Did I do it wrong? Were the seeds not right? Did the snow kill them? Did I labor in vain?

I vaguely remember some elementary school text book teaching me about the germination process. If I put the seed into an environment of tilled soil, ample water and sufficient nutrients, it will come alive, send down roots, and push a sprout through the dirt, reaching for the sun.

Supposedly. I can’t see it. I can’t really dig up the ground and check; that would probably disrupt the process. I just have to trust that this process is taking place.

Trust, and add water. As soon as the seeds are in the ground, I hook up the hose and soak the planted area with water. Every day. Nothing happens without water. Nothing happens without prayer. Nothing happens without God. Even if I can’t see it while it’s happening. I have to have faith that God is transforming that seed in secret. It reminds me of my Christmas sweater.

In the late ’90s, I saw a sweater that read, “Dear Santa, I want it all!” I loved it! So funny, so fun! After Christmas, I went to the store and bought one, packing it away for the next year. Over that year, God really challenged me on my finances; where was I spending my money and why. He challenged me to distinguish between need and greed. I don’t remember any “Ah ha!” moments or blinding lights, but when I unpacked that sweater the next year, I found it disgusting! So greedy, so gross! In secret, without even my own knowledge, God had transformed me.

But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6

Transformation does not occur through the constant barrage of media, my tireless pursuit of entertainment, or my endless activities. Sometimes I think these things prevent me from considering that little seed of my authentic self. It is only when I spend time in quiet, with God in secret, that He can transform the little seed of me into a better me. It is only when I expose this little seed, in all of its ugliness, to my loving savior that He can transform it. It is only when I spend time with Him that He is able to make me more like Him.

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Because transformation happens underground, in the quiet, undisturbed soil of my soul. The seed needs an area safe from predators and the elements to first break open its hard shell and expose the fragile tendrils within. The emerging plant needs some undisturbed time to allow its roots to search out the depths before it can think about surfacing. And even then, the transformed seed needs to mature a little before it pushes through the soil to expose itself to the world.

And what a glorious moment that is! Those first little sprigs of sugar snap plants bursting through the ground. Wow! There is joy in every single one of them. Don’t you think God is just as joyful when we allow ourselves to be transformed into all He created us to be?

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7

So trust in the transformation. Put the little seed of yourself into God’s hands. And the God who sees in secret will reward you in secret.

Betsy

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Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10