To Every Thing There is a Season

A farmer purchased an old, run-down, abandoned farm with plans to turn it into a thriving enterprise. The fields were grown over with weeds, the farmhouse was falling apart, and the fences were broken down.  During his first day of work, the town preacher stops by to bless the man's work, saying, "May you and God work together to make this the farm of your dreams!"   A few months later, the preacher stops by again to call on the farmer.  Lo and behold, it's a completely different place.  The farm house is completely rebuilt and in excellent condition, there are plenty of cattle and other livestock happily munching on feed in well-fenced pens, and the fields are filled with crops planted in neat rows.  "Amazing!" the preacher says. "Look what God and you have accomplished together!"  "Yes, reverend," says the farmer, "but remember what the farm was like when God was working it alone!"

Well, I feel like this is my story this year.  My yard has suffered terrible neglect from me.  I didn’t plant a vegetable garden like I usually do, as I am still suffering from Kakorrhaphiophobia (an abnormal fear of failure) because over the last 3 or 4 years I can’t seem to even grow a weed in it.  I built raised beds, brought in new soil, and did everything I could think of to make it happen, but, no cigar.  I swear I think my garden is cursed.  Seventy-five days of 100 plus degree temperatures and a terrible drought certainly haven’t helped.  I am doing good to keep the new grass I planted this year alive.  As a result, I don’t have much to blog about when it comes to my garden right now, but, with God’s help, I do have plans for a fall cleanup, a new start next spring, and I’ll pray for rain and carry an umbrella!

Despite the barren wilderness that is my yard, there are some sweet little blessings that come along to remind me of God’s faithfulness.  Little frogs and a few bigger ones come to visit me quite often because I do water my potted plants faithfully and I also have a fountain that they must be drawn to because of the sound of the splashing of water.  Volunteer sweetpeas from another season made a debut by a stump, a remnant of a Walnut tree we had to cut down because of disease.  The persistence of plants and trees that have been cut away to send up shooters and re-establish remind me of how determined life is to hold on.  I still feel in awe when I walk outside and smell my rosemary bush and see the pink blooms on my Mom’s Bougainvillea.  I used to babysit her plants every summer while she traveled, but last summer I told her goodbye for the last time…God found a place in His garden for her.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… Ecclesiastes 3:1