Garden

            Well it seems the more I wish for spring the more snow we keep on receiving. Two more days of school cancelled this week (no, I am not complaining) and the cold weather makes me want to stay inside and drink tea and coffee and bake all day. Parker is still wearing his winter sweater at the end of March because he freezes every time we go for a walk. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope that spring is indeed "just around the corner." And that is exactly why Nikki and I have officially begun our garden! We planted our seedlings this week and I have started my herbs in the kitchen. Today we are getting our load of dirt to fill our bed which Nikki and I built a couple of weeks ago.

          I am really excited to get outside in the sun and beauty of the mountains and work in the garden. I am excited to have something to do and share with Nikki and I am excited for really yummy vegetables and being able to cook and share them with others. But my favorite thing about preparing our garden is the small lessons hidden within it all. What spiritual depth there is in the planting, keeping, and reaping of a garden. The pulling of the weeds, the daily keep of watering and checking on everything. Everything about a garden is a beautiful picture of our faith. And most of all that we don`t depend on ourself and the things we do or do not do in order to keep the faith. Yes, we have a part in it, but we are not responsible. Christ and Christ alone gives and keeps our faith. There is no magical formula to creating the perfect garden. You can research endlessly and follow all the advice of the most experienced of gardeners, and still have a rainy summer that prevents good growth. As God controls the weather so he control our salvation and our faith. He is the only source, the only keeper, the only faithful. So as we plant and keep I pray even for those small seeds, that God would give them growth and protect them from all they have to fight against in order to stay alive. And that their roots would grow deep and take hold of the good soil, like my faith would grow deep and take a hold of the words of Truth in the gospel. And at the end of the day, I know it does not rest on what I did or did not do, but what He has already done and is doing. 

          Here are the first photos of the project underway...