Loving what He loves
I have been spending a lot of time outdoors lately. No, not going on some big hikes or visiting state parks, just hanging out in the backyard. We have spend the last 8 years planting trees, shrubs,and gardens and I just enjoy going out and seeing how everything is doing as well as seeing what all this has attracted. We have seen more, varied wildlife in the past few years than we ever have.
I not only love being out there, but I love when my wife comes out there with me and is interested in all of those things as well. It is much better sharing it with someone that you love. I connect more with her because she loves what I love. Pretty cool.
Maybe that is why I feel closer to God in the yard and garden. Because He is sharing something that He loves, that He created, with me! I can connect more with God just by the fact that I love what he loves! Maybe that is a way we can know Him better. Find out what He loves and love that too. You will find the heart of God that way.
I am constantly amazed by the beauty of observing the everyday when I am out there. The variety, the complexity, the simple, all conspire to create a orchestra of beautifully played music that I love to watch and hear. This may not be some big revelation, but I don’t think connecting with God has to be this big complex, step 1,2,3 process. The simple joy we can find in the everyday is there for anyone who wants to take the time to slow down and look for it.
Genesis 1:31, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and indeed it was very good”
Come as you are
Julie finishing half marathon
Last weekend, our family went to go watch my wife, Julie, run in a half marathon in downtown Minneapolis. Julie is training to run in her second Twin Cities Marathon in October. She ran the last one 10 years ago, and she is making sure she is more prepared this time around. She has already run in many 5Ks, a 7K, and some 10Ks. Her goal is to keep her knees strong and healthy and improve from her last marathon time. The hour was early and the weather clear and warm when we arrived. She was prepared, healthy, and ready to run. As she left the starting line, her bright smile indicated that all systems were go. Her goal was to finish between 2:15 and 2:30. Me and the girls funneled down close to the finish line shortly before the 2-hour mark to watch her come in. The 2:15 mark came and went, as did the 2:30 mark. At 2:39, she crossed the finished line. She finished! It wasn’t in the time frame that she wanted, but we were still very proud of her. So many battles are fought while running, and it is a test of your mental and physical fortitude. Well, Julie was not happy. For the rest of the day, she was in a bad mood. Disappointment took its toll.
Today, when I ventured out into the garden, I was putting some finishing touches on some long overdue chores. I made nine tomato cages out of concrete mesh and had put them around the tomatoes three weeks ago. They needed staking, and I was finally getting around to that today. As I was out there, I was noticing all the weeds. I was thinking that I need to get out here more and do a better job of staying on top of it. This year, I had made a concerted effort to not let the weeds win. I had laid down hay between all the rows to keep the weeds in check, been diligent to weed regularly, and even selectively sprayed Round-Up to stay on top them. But there they were, still staring at me in the face. Taunting me. Why can’t I stay on top of them? I have pulled what feels like thousands of weeds, and still, there they are.
As I was letting this roll through my head, and feeling disappointed, the Lord helped me remember all the past seasons and all the other times the weeds were much worse. Even though I have battled this regularly, I have always had an amazing crop at harvest time. I have had onions the size of softballs, and tomatoes, peppers and potatoes so bountiful that I could not keep them all. So what was all the fuss about? Well, I wanted the garden to look as perfect as it was producing. It even felt like I was putting more emphasis on how it looked, as compared to how it produced. The Lord gives the increase, and it has produced—every year!
I was thinking about all of this, and Julie’s half marathon came to mind. She was disappointed with her performance and race result, but you know what? She is out there running every day, she is producing, she is doing things very few people do – including me. Maybe she isn’t finishing where she wants. Maybe she isn’t finishing at the top, but she is finishing!
Then it became clear to me, God doesn’t care about our perfection or our performance. He cares about us. He isn’t going to bring increase to my garden only if it has no weeds in it. He isn’t going to help Julie battle during her run, only if she finishes at the top. He is there for us, despite the issues. He doesn’t wait for our weed-free garden and all our running issues to be resolved before He can bless us. He loves and cares for us right where we are at. He is there in the midst of your problems, not at the end of them. What a pressure-reliever!
I am getting ready to venture out and pull some more weeds. I love spending time out there. I know I won’t get them all, but so what. I know when people see my garden, they won’t see the postcard picture perfect one. That’s okay. Julie is getting ready to do more running by herself. Her knees never felt better, and she has run more this year than any other. She is a winner, not because of where she finishes, but because she does finish. God is working within her to strengthen her mind and her body. The results will come. No worries.
Slow down and take a look around, He is there. He is always with us. I am just thankful that He is not sitting there with a checklist, ensuring that we meet all the requirements of do’s and don’ts before he’ll be there for us. He is just inviting us to come as we are.
There is no place like home
This is absolutely my favorite time of year. I love being at home and watching nature unfold in our own yard. We have purposed over the last few years to add more trees, shrubs, and plants to our little 1-acre lot . So, the trees coming back to life, the lilacs and honeysuckle in bloom, the crabapple trees in full color, the vegetable garden getting planted, the bluebirds nesting in our yard, and the hummingbirds back at the window feeder are all reminders of life—and life more abundantly.
Daily, my wife and I walk around the yard to check up on all of our babies. How are our little trees doing this year? How about the small spruce trees? Is that winter burn or is that tree not doing so well? How are the baby bluebirds doing? It looks like the strawberries are being formed. You get the picture. Through it all, I see more and more detail of those things and I would know if something happened to any one of them. Also, I see God through it all.
I was watching the silver maples shed their load of seeds the other day. I have seen this many times before, but I was mesmerized by the whole thing. The seeds are transported by what looks like a helicopter wing. The wind was blowing fairly strong and some of the seeds were getting carried a hundred yards away from the tree. Ingenious! The seeds go far, but not too far.
There is no way that the design of those seeds could possibly happen by chance. It was designed, from the beginning, to do what it does. It is a tree, it does not think, it just does what it was designed to do.
There is only one explanation—a designer. The only possible designer is God.
I see this all over the place through the nature in our yard. I see examples of His handiwork everywhere. The more I slow down and watch, the more evident it becomes. I did not need to travel to the Pyramids or Hawaii to find Him. I have found a level of happiness and satisfaction by finding God in my own backyard. I hope you too can find Him in the most usual of places.
Soil Preparation
This last weekend we planted 2/3 of our vegetable garden. The garden is pretty good sized (30 x 50) 1500 sq. ft. There was a lot of preparation before we got to the point of getting seed into the ground. It starts the year before. In the fall, at the end of the season, I till all the remnants of the garden under. I add compost from the yard leaves and till again. Then the garden is officially put to bed for winter.
In the spring, I add more leaves and dead grass from the lawn and till it again. I wait a few weeks and till one final time. At this point, all the soil preparation work has been done and the garden is now ready to accept seed. The success of the crop is dependent on how well the soil is prepared. Now you can prepare less, but if you do, you will have more work along the way. You will pull more weeds, have to water more, and the end result will be that the harvest will be less bountiful.
So, the actual planting part was pretty easy, the soil was loose and damp, the rows were clear, no rocks or debris, and the weather was nice. The seeds sunk easily into the soil with very little effort involved.
My life has been like the garden. There was a time in my life when any good seeds that we thrown into my life might have just as well been thrown onto the pavement. My heart was still hardened. The cement needed to be broken up first. The debris cleared away, the ground tilled, and compost added. Even seed scatted at this point would not have produced a good crop. It was not ready yet.
The process of preparation takes time. The softening and conditioning of my heart happened through love and prayer from many different sources. This was the majority of the work. Not glamorous or attention grabbing.
When the preparation was complete, the ability for the good seed to be planted was ready. It was, and my life was forever changed. The seed produced a good crop of hope and blessing. A bounty of healing and good relationships. Life more abundantly.
I love the comparisons with the yard and garden and the Lord. I can clearly see it. To many times people focus on the fruit and the end result without taking into account the upfront work. The end result is a natural outworking of the work put into it early in the process. Arguing, debating, and trying to convince others of a particular position or point is a waste of time. You are throwing seeds unto pavement. The work you need to do starts early with love and prayer. So, may you realize the powerful jackhammer, softening properties that only love can give.
Backyard Therapy
Now I don’t know about you, but this time of year for me brings renewed hope and excitement as I am finally unlocked from winter’s grip and I am able to get outside. The outdoor season started a little earlier this year because we ventured into syrup making in mid March. This weekend, the weather got into the mid 50′s and the March winds had finally subsided. It was also busy; the Masters was played (a sure sign of Spring), we had commitments on Saturday and Easter was Sunday. Hope and promises were on display all around us in the midst of it all.
Earlier in the week, I picked up seed potatoes for the garden. Now last year, when I got ready to get plant the garden, I waited too long and the seed potatoes were all gone. They sell faster than anything else because they can be put into the ground as soon as the frost is out. Also, the year before, we went on a trip out west and came back to a garden that was lost to the weeds. So, needless to say, I was a little stoked about getting the best of the potatoes, earlier than usual.
I tilled the garden on Friday and I am thinking I can get some cold weather plants in a little early (lettuce, carrots and potatoes). I hacked the raspberry bushes to within a foot of the ground. The trees I trimmed this winter were still on the ground, so I brought those to the composting place. Is everything ready to go? No, but I can feel it. I can see the grass turning from brown to a light green. I can see the buds on the trees plump and full, ready to burst open.
We typically do not take a vacation in the winter so this time of year is especially gratifying. I absolutely love it. In the upcoming weeks we will be moving some shrubs, planting some trees, vegetable garden, and our annual garden, rearranging and expanding our perennial garden, and enjoying every minute of being that much closer to God in the process. We still have a lot of “work” to do, but I cannot wait to get my hands dirty.
With all the changes happening in our lives and the technology world that I live in, this is the best and most satisfying thing that Spring brings. It is theripudic to my soul. This spring, may you also find the time to get your hands dirty and breath in the rich smell of the earth as you plant your own garden.