Tending the garden

Proverbs 12:11 reads, "Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense."

I am not much of a gardener. In fact when I look for plants I look for the hardy ones. Plants that, no matter how hard I try, I cannot kill them. I am glad that I do not have to literally work the land for bread. I have learned a few things in my bumbling attempts to garden.

One thing I have learned is that a good garden begins before you buy any plants and dig any holes. For someone to work their land, or in my case try to put plants in it that will not die, they must know what they want out of the land. They must think through what they want to produce, what type of plants can be supported in that space and how they need to cared for and developed.

I have also learned that good gardeners practice the priority of placement. Certain plants like certain types of sunlight and grow well when placed next to certain others. If you do not pay attention to what plants are placed where, the plants may grow but they will struggle to survive rather than becoming the thriving producers of vegetables and fruits they were designed for.

I have also learned that gardening is a battle that has many enemies. Weeds are an enemy that creep up from within. If they are not held back they will choke out and kill the plant the garden was created for. Enemies also come from above and from the sides in the shapes of birds, rabbits and other creatures. The gardener has the task of not only nurturing the garden but protecting it.

This proverb invites us to look at the gardens that make up our lives. That is, the gardens of marriage, children and family. As a gardener, how are you shaping what those precious plants become? How are you the gardener defending your plants from the enemies that want to rob them of their vital nutrients and attack them from all angles?

This proverb invites readers to focus on growing and working the land of their lives. Through focusing and toiling at that which is most important, we are each the receiver of a great reward.

Rob Hurtgen is a husband, father and serves as the associate pastor at the First Baptist Church in Jackson.