Disappointment

While stepping outside our back porch yesterday to dump some vegetable waste into our compost, I couldn't help but glance at our garden and feel disappointment. Last year at this time, our garden was alive with tender green shoots ready to develop into last year's bountiful harvest. This year was a completely different story. After another freak snow storm, our garden now lay barren. The few plants I did put out a couple weeks ago were showing major signs of distress and most of my romaine lettuce had been nibbled around the tender leaves. (The snails and slugs are so vicious out in the Pacific Northwest!)

Gardening is where I find peace and comfort in kneeling in the soil to nurture our family's food. When I can't take another minute of "mommy" requests, overstressed by stretching our family's income or need two minutes of "me" time, my garden is where I escape. To me, there is no better spot...digging into the dirt, pulling weeds, and watering the plants. It is pure therapy for me.

I feel closest to God when I garden and feel his presence in the warming sun. I am able to talk to him and pray for things that are on my heart. So when I saw how the garden looked, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Not because my plants weren't thriving, because I wasn't my best. I felt ashamed that I hadn't been faithful in my time with God. I couldn't just plant my seeds and expect God to do the rest! My sad garden was a reminder that I needed to take care of myself in my own spiritual growth. For the past several weeks, I've been busy watering "others" and forgetting my own spiritual garden. It happens to all of us sometimes, but I was glad God sent me a simple reminder that it was time to tend to "my spiritual garden". How is your garden growing?

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean