I believe more and more that it’s my prayer life that God is growing as he calls me to my garden. My prayers, like the tiniest of seeds I plant, are in the beginning offered up in hope. As one by one they begin to sprout, I am reminded that those sprouts as visual signs that they are simply doing what He created to do. I’m not yet a prayer warrior… but I’m learning in order to have a healthy end product one needs to… tend with good soil, water them, and bath them in light’
I’m not much of a people person… and sometimes…. oftentimes, if I am being truthful that can be mistaken as I don’t care…. But the few that know me… really know me, know, I feel everything. Every word said.. or unsaid… I learned early to scan a room… It meant survival. I often …. Usually… don’t take anyone at face value. I’m a watcher of the details, the body language picking up on the minutest of details… both in life and in the garden. It is both a blessing and a curse.
I used to be a “fixer” until it took my health.
Our weekend was long…. Beautiful…. Exhausting… troubling…. Thought-provoking… this morning as I found my way to my garden… I was once again reminded of all the similarities my little green space has with my ability to handle life…
For example – In the garden, I need to plant in good soil. In life that means to me to be strong in God’s word so that I know who He is, His promises, and who he says I am.
Once the correct soil has been chosen and the seed placed, water often and as needed… the priest at my friend’s mom’s funeral this weekend reminded us that crying is an important function for growth and healing… I’ve cried a lot over the years, over this past year, this last month…. this morning… and to know that God doesn’t waste one tear, He reminds me that they are usefully being poured back over my life to sprout new growth, new dreams, and new hope.
And then, make sure they have plenty of sunlight… or Sonlight… I’m learning the value of being grateful in the little rays… not just the big ones. As I recently sat in my greenhouse repotting some seeds I had planted that began to outgrow their starter pots on a very overcast day… I noted one little beam of light so I stuck those new pots in that little space, thinking to myself…. That’ll work… God is everywhere… and sometimes on those overcast days, we need to just slow down and look a little harder for that one Ray to hold us over until the clouds lift. I’ve been there…
The truth is that the success of my garden is less important than who the Holy Spirit is working in me to become. Teaching me valuable lessons in listening and being present. Pulling weeds before they become an issue and dealing with issues before they become too big.
I so admired those women who were in my home church when I was a young girl, that I, and others, called prayer warriors… what an honor to think that God would even attempt to sprout me into something so grand… My mind screams out, “Does HE not know me?” and then I am reminded that that is why I am here in my garden learning the lessons. For now…. Like these little plants I’m re-potting…. I’ll do my part to ensure I have the right soil, trust God with my tears, and continue to stand firmly in the Son.
A Cowgirl Called 