How Does Your Garden Grow?

Psalm 143:8 – Remind me each morning of your constant love, for I put my trust in you. My prayers go up to you; show me the way I should go. (GNB)

Every spring, we plant a large garden in our yard. We plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, corn, and an assortment of other vegetables. My two children have always loved playing and digging in the dirt and helping plant the garden, but this year they wanted, in their own words, to "do it myself".

I hoed a row, and showed Bethany and Fraser how to place the seeds — not too close together, yet not too far apart — and cover the rows with dirt. After I observed that they were on the right track, I continued preparing another part of the garden for planting.

I smiled when the rows started to come through the ground. They were not the perfect straight rows that a gardener envisions, but uneven zigzags from one end of the garden to the other. There was a clump of peas growing between the rows, and a corn stalk coming up in the strawberries. My dad always said you could get more in a crooked row, and this year we will test his theory!

Our path to God is not always straight either. There are times in our lives when we are not centred on God. Our lives take a detour and God takes a back seat. If we keep our focus on God, our lives will travel a straighter course, and our hearts will grow true.

How straight are your rows?

Prayer: Loving God, You are like a gardener, planting rows of seeds. Help us keep our hearts and our minds focused on You. Enable us to keep our rows straight. Amen.