The Master Gardener and His Assistant

Oh, my vegetable garden is looking good. I’ve had a well dug since last summer, so I’m watering it to my heart’s delight. Blooms and vines are everywhere. We are looking forward to squash and peppers and tomatoes of all kinds. There is nothing better than slicing that first tomato of the year, placing it between two slices of bread spread with mayonnaise, sprinkling it with salt and pepper, and taking the first bite.

I remember the words of a song I heard on the Ludlow Porch radio show on WSB in Atlanta. “Only two things that money can’t buy, and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes.”

I enjoy being God’s assistant gardener. Vegetables are my first love. In addition to what I’ve already mentioned, I enjoy corn, beans, peas, and okra as well. There is a freshness to what you grow for yourself that cannot be matched, even if you go to the local farmer’s market.

But I also enjoy planting and tending azaleas, gardenias, trees, and flowering annuals. God is the master gardener, but I like to think that He uses me to assist in the process. For me, caring for my lawn, my flowers and shrubs, and my vegetables is a form of therapy. Mind you, it can be hard and dirty work. I don’t think I would want to work on a hundred acre farm for a living at this point. But I sure do enjoy caring for my ¾ lot.

I see God’s hand in all that is around me. The psalmist wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” And I would say that the gardens do as well. What beauty surrounds us every day. Do you see it? Do you give thanks for it?

I pray that God will open our eyes to see His handiwork all around us, and that we will give Him the honor due only to Him for all His great work!