My family and I went to Pyoungchang for a few days this summer. We visited some friends of his from Bible college who run a L'Bri style retreat center. The place was absolutely gorgeous. It is situated on the side of a mountain with a 5 tiered organic garden covering most of the grounds. We saw potato plants, peppers, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, corn, green onions, and a large number of stunning flowers. The picture above is my eldest son chomping down on a bell pepper.
I love gardening. I love everything about it. Planting seeds, watering, watching things grow, every little detail is delightful for me. The only thing that I ever had trouble with was pruning.
Pruning seems counter-intuitive. I feel like I am destroying a plant or a flower when I pluck off blossom. But it's not. It's actually very good for the plants. Think of strawberries plants. It does seem strange to bend over the beautiful white petals, press between your thumb and your index finger and pluck it off. But it ensures a better fruit later.
So, I continue. Pick, prune, pluck. Cut out what seems good to get to the best.
This law of the garden is a law for life. Early sacrifice for later bounty. (Doesn't this sound biblical?)
It's painful to prune out good things that blooming. Sometimes it's hard to remember why you are pruning. It's hard to have faith in the harvest that is coming - later.
Yet pruning grows a better crop and a better life. It takes courage to prune a life - but it's the way to have the best life of all.
All the hard work of today - which often seems never ending - is exactly what will make the most difference in eternity. All the parenting, cleaning, meals, teaching, and other endless hours will make a difference.
What I once thought was a plucking of my dreams will be the fruit of a better, later harvest.
And it will be sweet. Probably, the sweetest yet.
I love gardening. I love everything about it. Planting seeds, watering, watching things grow, every little detail is delightful for me. The only thing that I ever had trouble with was pruning.
Pruning seems counter-intuitive. I feel like I am destroying a plant or a flower when I pluck off blossom. But it's not. It's actually very good for the plants. Think of strawberries plants. It does seem strange to bend over the beautiful white petals, press between your thumb and your index finger and pluck it off. But it ensures a better fruit later.
So, I continue. Pick, prune, pluck. Cut out what seems good to get to the best.
This law of the garden is a law for life. Early sacrifice for later bounty. (Doesn't this sound biblical?)
It's painful to prune out good things that blooming. Sometimes it's hard to remember why you are pruning. It's hard to have faith in the harvest that is coming - later.
Yet pruning grows a better crop and a better life. It takes courage to prune a life - but it's the way to have the best life of all.
All the hard work of today - which often seems never ending - is exactly what will make the most difference in eternity. All the parenting, cleaning, meals, teaching, and other endless hours will make a difference.
What I once thought was a plucking of my dreams will be the fruit of a better, later harvest.
And it will be sweet. Probably, the sweetest yet.
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