Gardening...A Ministry

"When heaven falls to earth it becomes a garden" ~ Stoufer

My cup runneth over...the freezer is filled with squash and okra that dream of filling a winter stew or gumbo; the table is covered with a bright red sea of ripening tomatoes; peppers, peppers, and more peppers wait in the refrigerator for a cook with a taste for spice; and cucumber and eggplant are still roasting on the vines.  It is hard to believe that just four months ago I was expressing my doubts over whether or not a harvest would ever be made on that plot of land again! 

This year I have been tucking away the veggies into plastic bags and sharing them with friends and family.  In doing so, I thought about what a great ministry a garden could be.  Taking a bag or basket of freshly grown vegetables to a neighbor to “break the ice”, opens the door to new friendships and sharing of lives, testimonies, and love.  What a beautiful way to love your neighbor.

Lately, I too have begun to love the idea of community gardens, supporting local growers, eating organically, recycling, and living with less.  The later part of that statement doesn’t come so easy to me because I love my “stuff”.  I have been thinking a lot, however, about the benefits of “less is more”…less of a house, less furniture, less decorations…less stuff.  It would free up my mind and time so that I can concentrate on what matters more, that being serving others, spending more time with family and friends, and of course, gardening!!!

This week I will celebrate my 50^th birthday!  Encouragement abounds from friends, family, and even research I have done that this next decade will hold some of the best years of my life.  I have been so blessed already and I am truly looking forward to what God has in store for me.  As He whittles away and shapes me into His image, I hope that more and more as I look in the mirror, what I see will not be an aging semblance, but more so a beautiful reflection of the one who gave all so that I might live…the one who is my advocate, my strong defender, my friend… Jesus Christ.’

“To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”  

-Ephesians 4:22 - 24