Find out what makes you thrive

May 31

During a time of prayer with my friend Becky Sims, I had an interesting thought related to my garden under the pine tree.

Before we prayed, Becky had taken me around her house, showing me the new landscaping.  I noticed two pine trees on the south side of the house.  Becky said, “The landscaper suggested we put rocks under the tree as, you know, nothing grows under a pine tree.”

These words came back to me as we prayed.  True, well, almost true.

In ignorance both on my part and Tom’s, we had a vision of a lovely garden under the big pine tree in our back yard.  After bricking out the garden, we dumped a truckload of dirt and I planted.  To my surprise and discouragement, nothing grew.  Unbeknownst to me, few plants thrive under a pine tree due to the acidic soil.  The pine tree garden also was just out of reach of any of the sprinklers.  I had requested sprinkler heads in the garden and eventually this request was granted.

However those first years, I watched plant after plant die a miserable death.

In the process of losing the plants, in more of a trial and error method, some plants survived and returned.  I noticed that the “dusty” plants thrived, especially the yarrow and lamb’s ear. In fact the lamb’s ear eventually had to be thinned extensively.  Another year the candlestick plants returned and thrived. The garden needed some color.  I tried impatiens and they died not just because of the acidic soil or lack of water but the garden received the hot afternoon sun as well.  Then I hit the jackpot- petunias.  The petunias thrived and added such color! Along with my trial and error planting method, Tom installed two sprinkler heads in 2011.

Will and Tom made the garden in 2001. Now 12 years later, this is what my garden looks like today, one month into our spring/summer.

As I reflected on the garden and my life, I had these thoughts. First, like most people the situations of our lives are not ideal although I cannot complain. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. (Psalms 16: 6) How many people in the world can work on their back deck, listening to the wind in the pine tree, the soft melodies of wind chimes. I remember that I have a healthy mind and body, 3 adult children married to three wonderful adults who know Jesus, 3 grandchildren and another on the way, adult children gainfully employed, no financial concerns, a long term marriage, time to study the Bible and mentor others. That is just the short list!

We all have life situations whether it be a job, a life station (caring for an elderly parent, caring for a sick child or young children), a difficult marriage, the pain of watching our children suffer whether through their choices or as my mother would say "the vicissitudes of life," ill health or natural disaster. If you haven't noticed, there is a lot of pain out there.

But what do we do with the situation we find ourselves? The soil is acidic. The situation is not ideal. The circumstances might even be really bad. There is ugliness and death all around. I long to make something beautiful of my life and to see beauty and fruit in transformation.

I could have given up on that garden. I could have stopped planting. I could have given up my vision of a lovely garden to enjoy for 4 months a year. I did not . I kept trying. I persevered and I made something beautiful.

It is the same with our life situations. We could give up on the job or the marriage. We could stop caring for our hurting friends and family. We could stop trying to reconcile that troubled relationship. Instead, we try something new. We go at the situation with a different tactic, a new plant. Then we discover, "Wow, the petunias work. We can make something beautiful here."

These ideas tie into my blog theme of extroversion and spiritual formation as well. If I just planted any flowers without considering how God made the tree and soil, there would be no garden. We need to know who we are and what brings life to the soil of our lives

I keep trying new ways to see real spiritual transformation in my life although as you can imagine, I've had some pretty discouraging moments.  I intend to just keep pressing on.