God In The Garden – Have Patience
“Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.”
Romans 12:12
April is for patience. An acquired taste we gardeners force down our own throats, lest all our efforts be for naught. Not the easiest virtue to learn, yet the earlier learned the better. Many of us have humbly obtained patience in spite of our own stubborn will. Ignoring the weather predictions, hastily starting seeds too early, not properly prepping; all mistakes leading to disaster.
Ironically, patience in gardening is not slowly, nor gently taught. Instead, it aggressively smacks you as a sudden and final realization that you messed up. Your leisurely morning garden stroll is quickly halted when you see your seedlings have all died from a late season frost. Or perhaps your seedlings are too shocked from cold soil or harsh sunlight and will now have difficulty catching up for harvest time. Maybe you impulse purchased plants that the garden center irresponsibly sold that are incompatible with your growing zone and now you’re wishing you researched a bit more. Regardless of how patience entered our gardening lives, it is now a vital part of them.
Scripture is clear on the importance of patience. Over and over again, patience is praised. We must first master patience before we can master gardening. The patience of a gardener is the full bellies of our family. Our patience is the difference between our success and our failure this season. So, hold off a little longer friends. We’re almost there.
