Grow, Plants!

Being away from my garden for the past week (due to my accident), I'm thinking about it. Thankful that my roommate has taken on the job of keeping it alive while I'm away. But still wondering what its future will be...

I spent the better part of a late May evening out on my deck, ordering my little garden just so. First had to spread the whole thing with trash bags and cardboard so as to avoid raining dirt on our downstairs neighbor. Tiff, of course, when she re-potted all her stuff three days later, was smart and took her mess around to our front yard. My common sense, however, floundered and didn't make an appearance until later. Oh, well. This is how I roll.

Nearly two months later,my basil, cilantro, kale, and parsley are going crazy; the peppermint, spearmint, rosemary, and chives are catching up. Geraniums, Gebera daisies, petunias, phlox, and two very perky dahlias, nearly all gifts from students at the end of the year, are blooming happily. My thriving jalapeno plant is a constant enigma to me, since I don't like peppers. Every time I water it, I wonder, "Why did I buy this?!" But I'm happy it's growing nonetheless.

Part of me loves growing things. Each day requires just a little of me; a full watering can, a few blooms deadheaded, a mint leaf ripped and chewed just to assure the garden that it's doing its job. 

But part of me is wary of this garden thing, too, for the same reason. I know myself too well. I know my track record with things that require small investments over long periods of time. You see, I'd like to be able to complete it on the first interaction with it, to guarantee its success while I still have sufficient time and interest for it. 

Beginning the garden was delightful. Keeping it alive for this long: an accomplishment, to be sure. But unless I actually harvest and use these herbs, my efforts feel a little wasted. I hesitated at the beginning of this process for that very reason. My schedule and lack of time spent cooking the past month has validated some of those worries. 

So much of life is like this, though. Rarely is anything meaningful begun and wrapped up in one day. Relationships are built upon thousands of small investments. Books are written a few hundred words at a time. Painful experiences are healed through consistent, loving responses in the opposite direction. Slowly, always. Slow isn't bad. It's just how growth happens.

I'm seeing this as I recover from my accident, too. Each day, I have to rest in the understanding that while big recovery is not visible on a daily basis, what happens in all the tiny daily pieces matters. All I have is to be faithful with the small part that is in my hand on that day. I can't make myself heal, but I can drink another can of Ensure or take another nap when I'm supposed to...

I'm relieved to know that I'm not depending upon myself for growth. I'm depending upon the One who is faithful to begin the good work He's started. 

I do have a perfect model to look at when it comes to patience. I'm amazed that God is willing to participate in bringing growth and healing in us when it's such a messy, slow, discouraging process! When He opens our eyes to see and value the gospel, He doesn't automatically change everything within us. He allows His Spirit and Word to work slowly, from the inside out, and He doesn't give up on us along the way. 

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God is works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Philippians 2:12-13