I love my little garden, pinks, yellows, whites and greens. I love the planting, and working it fills your spirit as much as your time, planting, watching and nurturing things to grow.
God plants gardens too, He uses each of us to plant seeds and teaches us how to nurture those plantings.
I remember a story with my dad from many years ago. Dad had a soft spot for those who were in need. He helped many people in many different ways. But this particular time I learned something which had no value to me at the time and later in life "rang true" like a bell.
He was driving along Park Street going toward home. He saw a man on the right side of the road, crunched in a corner against a building, tattered and most likely filled with wine. Dad pulled off the road to the curb and said "stay in the truck".
I sat there watching and playing out what might be the conversation in my mind. As I did I really had no idea what was about to happen but I knew he was going to offer help to this man.
Dad helped the man up from the ground and then helped him into the bed of the pu-truck. Never would he have put a stranger in the cab with me in there.
We started moving again and as he drove he took a left onto Park Street and I asked "what are doing Papa?" He simply responded "planting a seed"
OK stop the film - I was young (about 9) and did not have a great deal of knowledge but I wasn't dumb enough to believe we were planting a seed as we drove along!
We turned right into the Burger King and dad helped the old gent out of the bed and told me to sit still again with the doors locked. He went inside and got lunch for us and an extra bag. I saw him give it to the man and then get into the truck and we drove away.
I finally got up the nerve to ask right out loud "alright where is this seed and where did we plant it?" He replied something like, "we planted a seed in God's garden" "we gave that man food for his body and food for his soul, I told him about God" "Now, it's up to him to choose to grow".
I just thought to myself O-Kee-Dokee. It really didn't mean a lot at that moment but as you can see from my writing this, throughout my life I have learned exactly what was happening.
He planted two seeds that day, one in the old man and one in me.
And that is how God's Garden Grows.
