You Can Learn A Lot from Gardening

Ankle boot and all, my wife continues to tend her beloved front lot garden. From her I have learned a gardening tip or three, and marvel at how rich are the lessons for life and faith. Consider these three:

1. Soil matters. Tilling is hard work, and good mulch is pricey, and neither are very sexy, but they make all the difference. How often do we bristle at tilling God is doing in our lives; "get on with the buds and blooms," we protest, "for what good could breaking up rocks and piling on manure do?" Ah, He knows better.

2. Tend to the roots. Tempting as it is to spritz the leaves and flowers to give them that attractive sheen, where the water actually needs to go is to the roots. How often do we fixate on what others can see on the outside, instead of hankering down and tending to the unseen foundations from which it all emerges?

3. Prune at forks. Where stems diverge, one should prune at the base of one side, so that nutrients can flow more focusedly to the other. And so should we be mindful to not just to cosmetic trims, but deeper ones so that we can pour out our resources into the avenues that remain.

I'm sure there are more life lessons to be had in the garden bed. These are three that easily come to mind. Would that we take them to heart, that our lives would yield results as pretty as my wife's garden.