Like everything else in 2020, this has been a really tough garden year. I have not had the abundant harvest of past years. My vegetables have been under attack and dying on the vine. I ponder the cause. Is it because this was the first year without my father’s start? Did I do something wrong? What the heck is eating my tomatoes? Worms, birds, squirrels, raccoons? Why are my melons, cucumbers, and squash dying on the vine? Not enough water? Too much water? Too hot? Poor soil? It is a tedious and frustrating analysis as I can’t really “see” what the problem is. It appears they come in the dark of the night when I’m not looking and just take what the hell they want! It’s frustrating. But there is hope. There are still survivors. I am still picking “some” tomatoes, making sauce for the winter and sharing with neighbors. And once this garden is done, I get to pull everything up, fertilize the soil, fix the sprinklers, try new treatments and plant all over again with the hope that the fall harvest will be more abundant.
Likewise, our world has been under attack. We can’t “see” this virus nor can we “see” racism. We see and feel its results. The virus runs rampant from person to person unseen and racism lies deep within the heart. The bible teaches us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the posers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” So then what is our hope? In Him, we must “put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” We must peacefully demand justice. We must not lose hope.
Looking beyond with great expectation.
#iammyfathersgarden