Don’t tell my mom, but I like to garden now.
And entering the 4th year of being an ‘urban gardener’ I decided now would be a great time to try my hand at seed starting.
One evening, while chopping up mini peppers to roast for the week ahead, I decided that this would be the year I would save the seeds and propagate them. I was going to get my money’s worth from my local grocery store’s mini snack pepper purchase.
I dried out the seeds, planted them in a seed starter, and voila – plants!
After a couple of weeks, tiny seedlings started to poke out. Having these tiny shoots in the Light House has been such a fun addition. To see them, care for them, anticipate them going into the ground and eventually producing fruit…what a delight.
What caught my attention a few days ago, though, is how they are bent. The massive window in my living room area lets in so much light, as previously mentioned here.
I said out loud to no one, “Huh…they’re bending toward the light. How ’bout that.”
And in bending toward their energy source, they receive what they need to thrive. Without this light, without facing what they need, they are left without a chance to grow.
You see where I’m going, right?
These tiny seedlings pointing me toward a deeper, richer, more rooted truth – I need to bend toward the Son.
What I love about gardening is the process. It’s slow and methodical and tender. No gardener reaps a harvest in a day. Effort and care and patience is required.
And that’s how it is in my relationship with Jesus. Effort and care and patience.
And like these seedlings, a small turn toward the sun/Son gives me enough to continue growing. And as I continue growing, I continue to soak up more of the sun/Son because my leaves are bigger, my roots are stronger, and my stem is more grounded.
But none of this happens if I don’t bend toward the Son.
It’s a slight bend. A small turning toward for effect to happen.
And that’s all it takes for me with Jesus – a small turning toward, gazing at His Love, for effect to happen.
I can confidently say that every day I have spent with Jesus has changed me.
I haven’t spent every day with Him, but the ones I have, have mattered. They have grown me. They have changed me on a molecular level.
So as I look at these plants for the next few weeks before they get put into the soil of The Gard, I hope they remind me to bend toward the Son as my source of nourishment and care.
Kayla Smith 