Sowing a Love for Gardening

I have been working on getting my garden going.  Last year I grew all of our crops from seeds planted right in the ground, except the tomatoes.  Planting seeds actually works!!!  Ha ha!  I usually buy the plants already started from the local farmers market, so I had never worked with seeds before.  This past year I started the tomatoes a few weeks before the last frost, which had them produce later than usual.  We started our tomato seeds today, so hopefully they will be just in time.  I let my children scoop the dirt, plant the seeds and water them.

It took a little longer than it would have if I had done it myself, but I am hoping to instill a love for gardening in them.  Sowing and successful growing always takes time, a lot of diligent, hard work and patience, but in the end all the tedious time spent pays off. Teaching kids to take time and put in the effort develops character and persistence and shows them the benefit of hard work.  Oh, how they love to go out and pick the fresh veggies from the garden in the summer, that they helped grow. They try EVERYTHING from the garden, so it also encourages them to eat vegetables too.  

I am a part of a WONDERFUL bible study on Monday mornings with women from 6 different churches.  It is so beautiful seeing unity in the body of Christ.  We have found our desire to walk with Jesus, a love for God's word and a heart to grow in the things of the LORD as our common goals.  This week we were actually discussing sowing and reaping.  We talked about what you sow into your mind, your marriage, your kids is what you will reap.  

“ Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.  So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.” Galatians 6:7-10 MSG

In our group we were talking about sowing spiritual things, such as if we want our kids to have a love for God's word we need to begin teaching the word to them and praying that they will have a love for it.  If we want our husbands to share in our interests, we need to share in and adapt ourselves to theirs.  If we want a mind at rest that dwells on good things, we need to listen to, read and watch peaceful, wholesome, God-honoring things.  

I hope to spend more time thinking about what I want to reap in my life, and I pray that God will show me how and what I need to sow to get those harvests.   “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” 2 Cor 9:10