Lessons from the Greenhouse: Thinning

So today was my second day at the #coppellcommunitygardens greenhouse. Today my job was “thinning”. Remember last week I was planting “just one” seed in each container. Well sometimes more than one seed gets in and you end up with multiple seedlings in the container. When this happens you have to thin out the multiples to allow “the one” to grow. Often the Lord will “thin” things out of our lives to allow us to grow. More is not always better. More can sometimes strangle us Many times He gently thins so that we can blossom. Whew Chile this greenhouse is preaching!

#iammyfathersgarden #thinning

Lessons from the Greenhouse: Just One!

Excited to start volunteering at the Coppell Community Garden Greenhouse today! My task today was planting seeds. The master gardener kept telling me “you just need one seed in each container”. Amazing how just one tiny seed germinates and grows into a plant that produces pounds of food. I mean these seeds are so tiny it’s hard to pick up just one. We plant, water, fertilize and the Father produces the harvest. Think about that. Just one seed! What if we sowed just one seed into someone’s life? Just one!

#iammyfathersgarden

Perfect!

So I was thinking about me potatoes as I pulled them out. How they’re kinda small and ruddy not like the almost perfect ones from the grocery store. But then I remembered these grew just as God meant them to be. No additives, no GMO, no pesticides. Isn’t that how He creates us? Maybe not perfect in our own eyes, but we are wondrously made in the eyes of the Lord. Perfect!

God’s Not Done.

Cleaned out the garden in preparation for the fall. Pulled up a lot of dead stuff. But underneath all that seemingly dead stuff was a nice mess of collards. There’s a song that goes “if I’m not dead, you’re not done!” Be careful what (or who) you throw away for dead. God may not be done with them yet. . #iammyfathersgarden

Dig Deeper!

At first glance, it looks like the first plant is dead and of no use. But when you dig deeper, you find that while the top has died off, there is an abundance of potatoes in the roots. Likewise, the third plant looks green and healthy, and it is, but when you dig deeper, there are no carrots! The plant is not fully matured and not yet ready for harvest. Don’t be so fast to judge people at first glance, neither good nor bad. Dig deeper to see who they really are.

#iammyfathersgarden

The Miracle of the Seed

I’d forgotten the thrill of that first appearance! From seed to seedling. Take a look at a seed. So tiny! Seemingly so lifeless. If you leave the seed in a packet, it just remains a seed. But if you take that seed and plant it in good soil, lovingly nurture it with fertilizer, nutrients and water, that tiny seed miraculously starts to break out of its shell and grow towards the light becoming a living plant with a bright future for producing something beautiful and nutritious. We plant the seed. God nurtures it.

At various times in our lives we’ve been the seed, the soil, the nutrients, the nurturer, the plant. Know where you are in each situation and what role God is asking you to play in that situation. Then stand back and watch the work of the Lord!

#iammyfathersgarden

Do the Work!

Every good gardener knows that weeding, feeding, and pruning is necessary for a healthy plant. You can’t just stick a plant in the ground and hope for the best! I look at my neighbor’s flowers and admire how lovely they are. But you know what, every morning she’s up early watering, feeding, and pruning. She’s putting the work in and seeing the results. So in what are you not seeing the results you expect? Is it your health and fitness? A relationship? A job? Then do the work! Feed. Weed. Prune. Then step back and watch it grow.

#iammyfathersgarden