The truths we’ve seen in the garden over the past year are nothing new or complex. They are simple yet profound. Nothing earth shattering, but sometimes seeing a visual reinforces in our hearts what God wants to teach us. Jesus used vivid imagery in his speech for a reason.
Have you been to the community garden lately? It looks a bit like the Amazon jungle. We have bushes and stalks and vines taking over this corner of the property. So much green!
So far, we’ve been able to take boxes and bags of produce to My Friends Place teen shelter, Second Harvest, and a Burmese refugee family through World Relief, not to mention various neighbors of people in the church. God has caused the garden to grow in abundance, to the point of overflowing. Literally. You can’t walk between some of the garden boxes because of the vines flowing down the sides and along the ground. I’ve never seen so much spaghetti squash in my life!
And that abundance has been given to us in order that we may give it to others. The visual we see of healthy, growing vines and a bountiful harvest of delicious vegetables is a picture of God’s grace in our hearts. As those who love and follow Christ and trust the Spirit to transform our hearts, we have God’s abundant grace flowing in us and through us to give us the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that we otherwise lack. He gives us that fruit of his Spirit, and he gives it abundantly, not just for us, but for others. Yes, we get to enjoy the tomatoes and cabbage and corn from our garden, but we have greater joy not from eating a big salad on our own, but from giving that produce away and telling others about the good and mighty God who provided it.
May God have all the glory!
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11
Other essays in the series from Quinault Community Garden:
Wow – so impressive! It seems from my perspective on this side of the blog that your garden “suddenly” produced. But it’s not so, is it? It’s all the preparation you have been doing all year.