I Failed as a Gardener

Last updated on: September 17, 2010 at 5:34 pm by Amy Julia Becker

I Failed as a Gardener 2010-09-17T17:34:54-04:00 Amy Julia Becker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My mother gardens. She has gorgeous flower beds. Everywhere.

Zinnias and lilies and hostas and petunias and daffodils and flowers whose names I’ve never learned. When I was little, our backyard had more sunlight than it does now, so she also grew green beans and tomatoes and squash and zucchini and lettuce and herbs.

I remember that garden fondly, and I wanted to recreate it for our children. I wanted to give them the experience of pulling the strings off string beans and wiping the dirt off the yellow squash and watching for bugs and bunnies. I had dreams of our whole family feeling more connected to the source of our food, even if only on a symbolic level. I envisioned
vegetable casseroles and digging a second plot for more produce next summer.

And then the reality set it. The crab grass. The abundance of squash–all at once, growing so quickly I couldn’t keep up no matter how many casseroles we ate. The need for water almost daily. The tomatoes that never ripened. The parsley. I don’t even like parsley. Or green beans, for that matter. When we picked them, they sat in a pile in the refrigerator until they were so shriveled I had to throw them away.

It’s the end of the summer, and I have failed as a gardener:

There are all sorts of reasons. My priorities didn’t include much time for weeding, for instance. It was easy to dash up the road to the local farm stand and select juicy fresh tomatoes and peaches and corn. The vegetable plot was too crowded for Penny and William to join me inside it. And my pregnancy gave me an excuse to avoid crouching down and tending it all.

But at the end of the day, I just don’t delight in gardening. And since it is not a necessity, I don’t do it. Next summer, we’ll let the land return to grass and support the local farm stand even more frequently.

I don’t want to make too much of my failed attempt here. But it does strike me that one of the images used throughout the Bible to describe God is a gardener, with human beings as the plants under his care. One of my favorite passages comes from Jeremiah 17:7-8:

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by
the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

I may have failed as a gardener. Thankfully, the same isn’t true on a spiritual level. God is willing to endure the constant tending and watering and waiting and weeding, that we might grow and bear fruit.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 14, 2010

What Question Would You Ask God?

Next Post

September 23, 2010 When the World Comments On Your Life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Articles Books Disability Down Syndrome Faith family Perfectly Human Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 September 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz