How Does Your Garden Grow?

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

I'm a good 'ole Southern woman. I love antebellum architecture, iced tea, and weeping willows. I could sit for hours shelling peas on a hot summer porch, listening to nothing but the symphony of insects. But, more than anything, I love the gardening culture of the South. 

If you're like me, you're chomping at the bit to be safe from the last frost of the season, so that you can start digging in the dirt. Some unwind with a massage. But me? I just sink my knuckles into the deep, rich soil of the earth. I never outgrew the appeal of making mud pies. 

Last week, I decided to take my chances with the extra warm winter, and I began planting my vegetable garden. My husband expertly worked to build wooden boxes for me to try my hand at suburban horticulture.  When the boxes were filled to the brim with soil, we carefully laid the tiny seeds in their new beds, covering them gingerly with a dirt blanket. 

Finally, our task was complete.  I looked on with the pride of a new mother, just sure that those babies would develop and grow as expected. After all, I had done such a good job of planting them!

You know, I often do good jobs. I am very gifted at a lot of things. I know a lot of stuff. And, I am a bright spot in many people's lives. I have shared my faith countless times to thousands of people. I do SUCH a good job. . . Are you ready to throw up yet? 

As I was looking on those seeds, I was immediately convicted as I thought that my good job had any bearing on the growth of those plants. After all, wasn't it God who created those seeds? Wasn't it Him who provides rain to nourish those seeds and sun to grow them? Isn't it He who puts just the right atoms in the atmosphere to produce favorable conditions for growth? Really, isn't God responsible for it all? 

He is. 

On my own, I am responsible for no growth. Only God grows things. Only He plans and plants and cultivates and matures and harvests good things. Not me. Not you. Only Him. 

So, maybe you're like me today. Maybe you, like me, need a reminder that while we can do good things, only the Lord grows things. 

Father, remind me constantly that You, alone, are the grower of good things. Remind me to give You all credit, leaving nothing for myself. 

Lindsey Pond