Planting and Planted

 

I have spent quite a bit of time recently planting seeds, transplanting seedlings, reading about what and when to plant seeds, reading specific information about different plants, time and bloom times, conditions for germination, soil type, water needs, growth rate, height, sun or shade, annual or perennial…making garden spreadsheets with the aforementioned information. So far, the weeds haven’t defeated me. Yet. I’ve seen butterflies and hummingbirds, and thought about plants they enjoy.  In my mind I can see the potential for such beautiful flowers and other plants. My friend said, “You’re going to have your own Garden of Eden.” I know that I won’t, because there will always be weeds, and plants with stickers, and snakes, and sweat, and sunburn, and bug bites. But I can’t get her statement out of my mind. It makes me think about what scripture says about plants.

Genesis 1:11-12 HCSB 11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:29-31  29 God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This food will be for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it. I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

On the third day, God created all plants. When He looked at what He created, He said that it was good. On the sixth day, He gave all vegetation to the birds, animals, and humans for food. All of it. As I’ve been researching, I often see that certain plants are toxic to dogs, cats or humans. Other plants cause severe allergic reactions. One of those I find most interesting is poke sallet, which causes skin irritation because it contains so much vitamin A. I’ve never eaten it, but I have heard my daddy talk about people eating it. On the gardening site I follow, comments range from “I canned some to eat this winter” to “Wear long sleeves and gloves. Get rid of it. Burn your clothes.”  It causes severe illness or death in some animals and is a good food source for others.  It’s toxic, poisonous, and rich in vitamins. I even read somewhere that its toxicity is actually an overdose of vitamin A. Isn’t it amazing that God created such a paradox of a plant? But in the beginning, all plants were food sources for all creatures. 

Genesis 3: 17 And He said to Adam, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’:

The ground is cursed because of you.

You will eat from it by means of painful labor

all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow

until you return to the ground,

since you were taken from it.

For you are dust,

and you will return to dust.”

I saw a meme on social media recently that said something like, “Only gardeners go out and get hot, sweaty, dirty, sunburned, and bug bites and call it relaxing.” Sin is the reason for the hard work, uncertainty, and discomfort in gardening but God is the creator of the food source and the beauty. 

Psalm 1:2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,

and he meditates on it day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water

that bears its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

As I have planted seeds, I have been diligent to water them daily until they germinate. When I transplant seedlings, I make sure they have the moisture they need to establish their roots. The trees around my pond always have especially beautiful Fall foliage because they have a constant source of water. Water is of essence to plant growth and survival. God’s instruction is water to us. When we are rooted in Him and meditate and apply His instruction, we bear fruit. We have purpose. It’s a process. We bear fruit in its season.  The perennials I planted this year won’t flower until next year. That’s their season. The root bound narcissus bulbs I dug up may not bloom for a couple of years because the bulbs didn’t have enough room to grow and develop. That’s their season. The annuals I planted this year are already blooming. God knows their season and He knows mine and yours. He produces fruit in His timing. He does the work, but our responsibility is to stay rooted in His instruction, to study His Word, to pray, to be obedient to Him, to submit our will to His.

Jeremiah 17:7 The man who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.

8 He will be like a tree planted by water:

it sends its roots out toward a stream,

it doesn’t fear when heat comes,

and its foliage remains green.

It will not worry in a year of drought

or cease producing fruit.

While David speaks of God’s instruction being our source of water, Jeremiah writes about our confidence in God, our faith, our consistent trust. When we face trials, troubles, even periods in our life when our faith is tested, when we don’t “feel” like we have the water source that sustains us, we continue to grow and be vibrant in our walk with Him when we place o ur full confidence in Him and the instruction we receive from His Word, from the work of His Spirit in us. We don’t worry in those hard times, those days or years of drought, because our faith is in Him and not focused on the conditions around us. 

Jesus used illustrations of planting seeds to teach His disciples about His Kingdom. 

Matthew 13:18 “You, then, listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times what was sown.”

One of the things I’ve read during my quest to learn more about flower gardening is that you need to amend the soil. I’m not sure exactly what that means. (I’m still learning.) But I think it means to change the soil to be more compatible with the needs of the particular plant you place there. That may be adding sand, or compost, or some other material that makes the soil support the needs of the plant. When we talk about fertile soil for being rooted in God’s Instruction, what do we mean? Looking back at Jesus’ explanation of what is not good soil, we see that understanding the message of God is necessary for us to be good soil. I think this means a true understanding of our sin nature, the just penalty of our sin, and the incomprehensible gift God gives us through Jesus’ substitutionary death and powerful resurrection. Our soil needs to be suitable for good root development. We are rooted when we study God’s Word, when we pray, when we are obedient. We focus our faith and trust on Him when the drought of persecution and pressure try to destroy us. Our focus needs to be on Him, Who He IS and what He has done. When we focus on the things the world sees as valuable we miss out on the true treasure of relationship with Him. We amend our soil by Bible study, focus on God, seeking the true treasure of relationship with Him. 

I want my life to be fertile soil for God to grow a productive, vibrant plant, who produces fruit in God’s season and for His purposes. How about you?