It’s gardening time on our homestead, and it’s fun to see all the new growth. We tripled the size of our garden, and it was incredibly time consuming. Since we have rock hard, red clay, I spent days tilling, and amending the soil by adding in moist, rich, compost and worm laden dirt.
I began with such excitement. I thought of all the provisions our garden would provide, and I attacked my end goal with determination.
It was really hard work, and by the end of the process, I was just exhausted. I didn’t want to finish the job, yet my deadline of planting everything before we left for our beach trip was looming.
So what did I do? I took shortcuts.
It felt good. Shortcuts were so much easier, less time consuming, and I got everything planted on time.
Until I saw the end result, and it was a glimpse at my own life.
Whether it’s financial goals or simply parenting, life can get exhausting. When I am exhausted, I just want to take the easy way out.
Why? Because I am weary, and at times, feel too inadequate for such a big garden, so it’s tempting to do this…
“Sure, just watch TV all day. Yes, you can stay out as late as you desire and I won’t check up on you. That’s fine, my son, feel free to charge five Gatorades on the credit card every time you fill the car up with gas. Oh, don’t worry, you don’t have to do any chores. Yes, be like all the other teens your age. Excellence doesn’t matter any more – after all, you are “just a kid.”
But I know – It does matter!
Your effort matters. All the time we take to cultivate that soil reaps HUGE rewards.
IT MATTERS! Taking the time to go deep, to enrich, to cultivate makes the difference.
We may not see it now. We may not see it for years to come, but in the end, the pay off will be huge.
The days are long, really long, but the years are short.
Do the hard stuff! We won’t regret it when the harvest comes.
it’s so true, isn’t it? i have definitely seen those same results in my garden (2 years ago) and it’s shortcuts no more for me!
Gardening is such a picture of so many aspects of my life in Christ. There have been years I tilled, composted, raked, hoed and weeded, only to have deer lop everything off that grew. He is with me in these desert times in my life. There have been other years bugs were the culprit, or life got in the way of keeping the grass out. Too much rain, not enough rain. Each Spring I ask the question, “Will I do it this year?” and it seems each Spring I try again. I am out there this year, connecting with Him through this process, listening as I sweat, delighting in the squash blossoms that mean something’s coming soon, small peppers getting bigger, discovering new varieties of old favorites. I hope you have a harvest of fruits and veggies, as well as in your soul!
What a word picture and I do mean WORD picture!
Jen,
Thank you so much for your timely post. It’s been a weekend around here where our teenage daughter has been pushing the boundries–we believe like you that excellence does matter–and we need to reinforce that. Because they are “just kids” isn’t an excuse to do whatever they want and “be like the other teenagers”–they are our teenagers and we want the best for them, even when it takes extra effort on our parts to keep them on the right track–same as with our gardens! I needed to read that reinforcement that we are not the only parents who care enough to do the hard things.
May your garden of children as well as vegetables grow and prosper!
Larissa
wow… nothing like those two plants staring us in the face to remind us of the state of our souls. it’s worth the exhaustion to cultivate our beings… good word.
This is a great post, Jen. I like the parallels that you drew and the imaginary conversation with your kids. Really drove home the point. As far as gardening, this is our first year in a house rather than an apt. and our first year to garden. We’re doing square foot gardening and we really, really like it. Kelly
This is the reality of life. I’m an avid gardener. This hobby of mine gave me traits I value in life – be patient, be hardworking, and be good to your surroundings (to your environment and to your fellow human beings). You really ripped what you sow.
And if I may add, there are no shortcuts in life. You have to endure all the pains first before you can enjoy all the gains. I experienced hardships before – and all I can say now is that they’re all worth it.