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Lessons From The Garden And Bean Feilds

This last couple weeks I have had a special privilege. When I tell you what it is, you may wonder why I call it "special", but I do because I have recieved helpful thoughts from the experience.

I have spent quite a bit of time in our garden and our soybean fields. Because of all the rains we recieved in June the weeds and grass have flourished! A hoe or spade is the only thing you can use in the bean field, but Stan wonders about me when I take the hoe to the garden when a perfectly good tiller stands in the garage. But because of using the hoe, I have learned alot of personal lessons.

When I first looked at our poor garden, the thought went through my mind "Why try...just get the good old lawn mower out here and cut all this stuff down."

Then I remember....I see in my minds eye, my husband patiently walking behind the tiller, preparing the garden bed for seed. I see him stretching the baling twine out straight, and tight so the row can be dug just right. I see him bending, the tiny seeds in his farmers hands, as he gently places them there in the black dirt, one by one, I see him take the rake, gently covering those little seeds with just the right amont of dirt and pressing it down just right. I see him standing there, hope written all over his face.

As I walk those long rows of beans I see his tractor and planter going up and down in the fields putting out yet another crop. I see him looking to the sky hoping for a rain to help bring up those little seeds.

So all I can do is take my hoe and go out among those little plants, those tall weeds, and that "spread out grass" and do what I can to make my husbands dream come true. I learned that I need to remember someone elses hopes and dreams, so I don't become discouraged in my labors. I need to remember that God make me just how He wanted me and placed me just where He needs me, so I want to not disappoint Him.

Have you ever experienced hoeing up grass and weeds? As I walked those rows of beans, I noticed a few weeds laying there already on the ground. I had come through two days earlier and hoed them up and left them to die. But they didn't die! They lay there as green as ever. I got down on my knees and picked up that plant. I was shocked to find a hair size root still attached to the earth. It was staying alive through that small root. The same was true for those grass clumps in the garden. I had to get my hands dirty, by making sure all roots were severed from food sources. Sometimes I would flip that clump upside down.

Help me to be willing to cut away any source of life from any negative thought, hurtful words to another, or any unforgeviness.

I have to be gentle with that sharp hoe. Sometimes I would love to bring that hoe down hard on those huge weeds and dig them up hard. But as I work close to those little orka plants or watermelon, I have to use the hoe gently. I have to be sure I get the weeds around them but not the plant.

Over in the bean field we have planted some seed close to a tree row. Those little plants are very small and struggling to keep alive really. The tree roots have taken alot of the moisture. At first when I looked at those little plants, I thought to myself "why waste my time on those weeds, the beans won't amont to anything anyway." But no,,,I weeded. I wanted to give them a chance.

Another thing I noticed over in the bean patch was if I wore sunglasses, I couldn't always see the weeds so clearly. I would walk right past a few smaller ones.

When I'm looking upon another person or having contact with them, I wonder if I should wear my "sunglasses". That way I wouldn't see every little flaw. They could look more "pure" to me. More perfect. Also how do I act or talk to a person who is struggling like those little bean plants? Do I realize they need a smile, a pat on the back, a hug, a word of encouragment? Do I realize that I may be the person who lifts them up out of a pit of despair? I want to realize that I don't know what they face everyday that drains the life from them, and I want to have just the "right touch of the hoe" to give them fresh hope. To help the sun to shine for them once more.

Maybe the hardest thing for me to do was to walk away from that garden and bean field and know the hot sun would dry up those weeds. Walking away knowing I had done all I can and leaving the rest to the hot days. I say this because after I had hoed and pulled and left all those weeds and grass laying there on the dirt, it looked like a mess. The weeds and grass layed there, as green as ever, and it looked like they were laughing at me, like they were saying "you just think you got me." But I just turned my back on the mess and I knew I had given it my best shot and I trusted the hot day would do the rest.

Comments

  1. :) a soft <3 ed farm girl, love your sweet thoughts dear cousin

    ReplyDelete
  2. So much to learn from nature about god's marvelous work in us! Thanks Helen!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good thoughts for my heart to consider! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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