God's Message in a Garden Patch

Here I am, weeding my vegetable patch, when it hits me. When I planted this patch, it was freshly turned soil. I had pulled a hedge out. The heavy snow had killed off the middle of the hedge, by splaying it out, because it was so heavy. So we pulled it up and it's right next to my raised bed, so I decided to plant it. It's really good soil, and it was already loose.

But, when I planted my seeds, all sorts of things started coming up. I had read that weeds wait until the soil is disturbed to germinate, sometimes years, to start growing. I hadn't actually experienced it, because my mom was always the one doing the planting and growing. I planted radishes, onions, and lettuce. I know what they look like, but not the first 2 leaves. So I had to wait until they got a bit bigger.

By the time they got a bit bigger, there were MASSES of weeds. I almost couldn't find the ones that I had planted. The weeds had taken over my garden patch. I decided I had to do something about it though. As I'm pulling, very gently, the tiny weeds out, the Holy Spirit taught me a few lessons.

1.) Sometimes there are too many weeds to pull up because they could disturb the real plants. Pulling them up would pull up the good plants. It's the same with disciplining the sinners in the world. God can't always deal with them because they're too close to those of His, His children, who are doing good in the world. So when you wonder why so and so isn't getting disciplined, and is prospering, maybe it's because they are too close to someone doing real good in the world and God doesn't want the good person to receive fall-out from the discipline. God is mercy. Maybe it's you he is saving the dirt around.

2.) All the weeds coming up did serve a purpose: they loosened the soil and made it easier for the good seeds to push up. It also made it easier for me to pull up the weeds.

3.) I had to pull each one individually, not as a group, because I had to look closely to see which was a weed and which was a plant that I planted. It was time consuming, but it will be worth it because the fruits of my labor will be enjoyed at the dinner table. God deals with us on an individual basis. He disciplines those he loves, or those who will never come to him He removes from our presence, I suppose. But we don't know the difference, just like my plants don't know the difference between what plant is next to them. The fruits of His labor will be enjoyed at the Bridal party, in the last days.

Amazing what a garden can teach you, huh?

Lori Ann Smith