I grew up with a big family garden, and my dad forged a work ethic in me in the okra patch.

 

Not helping in the garden was not an option. In the days when I grew up, children learned to work at home and make a contribution to the family. Often today children pile up in front of video games and vegetate.

In the soil and sweat of those early years, I learned to love and appreciate the family garden and growing my own food.

So COVID comes, and I decide it would be great to plant a garden in our neighborhood community garden. I rented a plot, bought a few sparse plants (not much to be had), and lots of seed. In the meantime, the road to the garden is closed and there’s no access.

A friend in the neighborhood had a neighbor who had raised beds, who also wanted to plant a garden. I met a new friend and we planted our garden and the the frost came in May and killed most of what was planted. So, now we must start over.

 

So is life! Sometimes our best efforts end up nowhere and we have to start over and try again. 

 

I guess if there is a gift God has given me, it’s tenacity! I am like a bulldog on a bone most of the time about everything. I don’t take no for an answer. I grew up with “where there is a will”, there is a way! Life has been hard, and I had to learn to work in a man’s world and fight for what I thought was rightfully mine.

 

I have always looked for a way when there appeared to be no way–then God would make a way!

 

So back to the garden for a redo. Starting over is a good thing and never bad. It’s all in your perspective. You learn so much through struggle, stretching and straining of working through life’s challenges. Developing a positive attitude about life helps us find joy in small things as well as big.

Many life lessons are discovered in the garden. We learn how to cultivate the soil if we want anything to grow. The soil has to be free of obstacles and rich and full of life and nutrients. Dead, worn out soil produces nothing. Rich, black soil brings forth life. Old roots and plants and debris have to be removed before there can be new growth and a harvest.

 

 

So it is with life. We need to clean out the old, worn out soil in our hearts and get rid of the debris and trash that make us emotionally and spiritually dead. We need to till our hearts and add good soil that can grow and produce lasting fruit.   

 

 

f you have enjoyed this writing, please go to my blog site and subscribe at drbrendaramboauthor.com . Comments and conversation are welcome.  You can also purchase Whispers of the Spirit, a devotional book, at this website.