To Everything there is a Season

I was in my garden tonight for the first time in weeks.

During the fifth week of my pregnancy I experienced complications that put me on bed rest for what seemed like a long, long time. My midwife specifically instructed: “I do not want you gardening.”

Ouch.

Therefore, what lay waiting in my garden tonight was untended and eager for care. What started out as sprouts this past spring have become tall and unruly plants in mid August. I pulled weeds with my back to the evening sun and let the water from the sprinkler just barely touch the back of my neck. Hands in the dirt, watching out for hornets I have seen on occasion, I was once again overwhelmed by my garden and how it is the essence of life. All of life, right there, in my 8’x40’ flower bed.

As I wrote here this past spring, I spent days preparing the soil before I started to plant. The quality of the soil most often determines the fate of what is planted. Even within the smallest seed lies the potential for growth, the road map of every color and bloom and shape and scent. Drop a seed in a bunch of clay and you will likely stunt its growth from lack of nutrients and oxygen. But plant a seed in good soil and the seed is properly nurtured and fed. It will go on “to produce a crop a hundred times greater than what is sown.” Luke 8:8 Submerge your heart and your mind on the word of God, for it is good soil. May you grow and evolve into the magnificent color and scent that your Holy Father mapped in your inner most being before you were born.

Do not be surprised when droughts come. Even in the best soil, plants will have days where the sun bears down and the soil cracks dry and the winds blow and threaten the survival of what has been sown. Fear not, for the rains will come. Even in the midst of the Sahara, eventually, the rainy season comes. I promise you that the longer you wait for that rain, the more parched your soul, the sweeter that rain will be when it comes. And yes, it will come.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the weeds. They will grow around you and may overwhelm you, but eventually they will be plucked out. Dig your roots deeper, grow taller toward the sun, and wait for the season of pruning.

Yes, the pruning. Sometimes you will need to be cut back. For seasons change and flowers that bloom will always fade and droop. It is only by cutting those flowers back that they have the chance to bloom again. It is so hard to let go of what was, especially when what was was particularly beautiful. But have faith, loss is real but resurrection and rebirth are the truest truths. Don’t take your eyes off the truth for one second. “The flowers fall, but the Word of God remains forever.” Isaiah 40:8. The blooms fade and are cut back and cast away so that new growth may come or a new season may begin. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

So plant your seed in good soil. Dig your roots down deep with confidence-within you lies the map of the gorgeous bloom, the lovely scent, that only He knows. When the sun grows hot and the wind blows, don’t despair, wait on the Lord. For your Father in Heaven will again pour down blessings upon you. The longer the drought, the sweeter the rain.

Do not let yourself feel forgotten, for He designed you to do great things, He planted you with His own hands, and He will not forget His creation. And when weeds rise up around you, wait for the pruning that is sure to come. Mourn that which is lost, for there is always a time to cry. Ecclesiastes 3:4 Tears will draw you closer to the Lord. Draw yourself to His lap as a lamb to the Shepherd. Then prepare yourself for the glory of the newness to come.

For it surely will.