Lessons from the garden if you are in a sowing and waiting season 

Every time I plant a vegetable garden, I’m filled with such excitement that I find myself checking each day for any sign of growth. The seed packet explicitly states not to expect a whisper of progress for at least 10 days, but the anticipation of “what if” is too great to keep me away from the soil. Sound familiar?

Do you ever find yourself in a season where what you’re sowing doesn’t seem to sprout? You thought you heard God clearly, grabbed your tools and got to work. The beginning of your sowing season was exhilarating, and showing up daily was a joy. But when the romance period faded, you’re left bewildered because when you ran to check for a crop that will lead to harvest, you found yourself staring at…dirt.

I found myself in one of those seasons recently, but God gave me some reminders during my daily trek to stare at the seemingly empty earth.

• You have no power to make your seed grow.

Yes, you can do all the right things: use fertile soil, water, and make sure there is plenty of sunlight, but there’s nothing your own might can do to force growth. When the seed finally and miraculously splits open, it’s our God that calls forth life.

• You don’t have control over the timetable.

Some gardens take time. There are certain crops whose seeds can take over a year to germinate! That requires patience, faith, and trust for the process. Not to mention, there’s often something going on in the dirt, we just don’t have the power to see it. 

• Your crop can die if you give up.

What if you’re one day away from the moment that changes everything? From the moment that renews your hope? From the moment where you can finally see the beginning of a crop sprouting up from the ground. Most people don’t fail, they give up too soon.There is something to be said of consistency and commitment. 

• You will have to fend off pests that can damage your crop.

During these seasons, you will have to continuously fight off unwelcome pests. Spiritually speaking these come in the form of doubt, worry, fear, pride, jealousy, and comparison. Detect and swiftly remove these weeds by the root. Again, and again, and again.

• Some of the things we plant and nurture are simply not for us to harvest. 

This is probably the hardest one to swallow, because it’s natural to desire a harvest from your own work. But what God called you to may not be for you to harvest. You might simply be setting the stage for someone to come behind you to do the reaping. 

So I leave you with a few questions to ponder: 

In this season, where have you been relying on your own striving instead of leaning on the power and strength of God?

What persistent “pests” do you need to remain vigilant against as you wait patiently for His timing?

How can you fortify your heart and spirit so you don’t grow “weary in well-doing?”

And most sobering of all: Are you still willing to answer God’s call wholeheartedly, even if your role is simply sowing and tending the soil, never seeing the harvest with your own eyes?