The Lord made some people gardeners. The Bothwells were not some of them. We do not grow food. We eat it. For a short time when our boys were very little in Africa we had a small garden cut out in the midst of a patch of elephant grass. At no time in our lives in America have we grown eatables. We have gathered wild blueberries and asparagus where God planted them. So this year when my wife decided to grow a tomato plant in a tub we were pretty much garden virgins. You can imagine our dismay when a ground hog started munching on it. But my wife fortified the plant with chicken wire and we now have tomatoes. It was a rare day this afternoon when I walked by it, plucked a nice round red juicy fruit (or is it a vegetable?) and ate it right there on the spot.
They certainly do taste better than the ones from the supermarket. It brings new meaning to Genesis 1:11- 12. It was the third day of creation. “The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”
Now I am wondering if brussel sprouts and okra taste good if they come fresh from the garden. But alas, I think it is too late for us to become gardeners. We do live in New England and the growing season really isn’t very long. Maybe in heaven God will put a garden area in my back yard with no weeds. I hope I don’t disappoint Him if I fail to use it and instead buy my veggies from a neighbor with a squash patch.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 24, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org