There was a time when life was simpler, a time when most people lived on farms or in small towns.  Back then most families had a garden, and spring meant plowing as soon as the ground was dry enough.  The first things planted were usually potatoes and peas.  Nowadays a family is more likely to live in an apartment, condo, or cookie-cutter house in a subdivision with zero lot lines--hardly enough space for a potted plant, let alone a garden.

My first memory of "work" was in the family garden.  Wherever we lived, mom and dad always had a garden, not as a hobby or just for looks, mind you.  Canning and freezing produce had a major impact on our food budget, which was important in a family of six.

Summertime was special.  The first delicacies to come along were the strawberries, later the corn on the cob and tomatoes.  They're not delicacies anymore.  These days you can buy fresh strawberries and eat corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes any month of the year (sometimes I think I liked it better the other way--as they say, familiarity breeds contempt).

Before I continue I want to call your attention to where I live—in the balmy state of Florida.  This means that for me putting in a garden isn't restricted to May and June.  I plant radishes, spinach, and the cooler-clime veggies in December!

Now, I don't live on ten acres.  The fact is, my garden is an eight-foot by eight foot grow box in my back yard (we old gardeners die hard!).  A garden of that size will definitely not feed a large family.  Truth be told, it's not even economical.  I calculated that when I spend nearly $2 dollars for a packet of radish seed, I could have probably have bought more radishes from the supermarket for the same price!

But at this stage of my life, that's not the purpose of a garden.  I go to all the trouble and expense for the following reasons: 1) for old time's sake, 2) I like to watch things grow, and 3) I need a better excuse to be outside than mowing the lawn and fighting cinch bugs.

You know, there's a lot one can learn about life from planting, caring for, and reaping a crop, no matter the size.  For instance, the first thing to do is to prepare the ground and make sure it's the right time of year.  That's why folks up north don't plant corn in December.  What does this say about life?  There's a right time and place for everything.  You can't be what you ought to be just anywhere at anytime.  There are certain things to do and certain things to avoid if you expect to be healthy physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Another thing, I read on the packet of seeds that it takes around 7-10 days before the plants come up.  This reminds me that the best things in life are worth waiting for.  The 21st century perspective is to have it right now.  But a good garden and a life lived well take time and work.  We're talking about the imperative of patience.

So here's me as a child, working in the garden with my mother.  Seven days after planting, the plants begin to sprout.  "But Mom, where are the beans?"

"Patience, Son, the beans are not what you get first, they're what you get last.  In the meantime, the plants must take in the right amount of sunlight, moisture, and fertilizer. And they must be weeded, of course."

Notice, I said the right amount of sunlight, moisture, and fertilizer.  If not in the right amount, the fertilizer that feeds the plant can burn it, the water that's essential for life can drown it, and the sun that photosynthesis is all about can scorch it.  Are you reading between the lines?  Our lives are like that, too.  Remember the old adage about not getting too much of a good thing?  This generation will be remembered for its excesses, even of the good things.

Tending plants, whether vegetables or flowers, can teach us a lot about life.  The One who made both man and plant is also the Great Gardener.  One day He told His listeners, “For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, and after that the full grain in the head" (Mark 4:28, NKJV).

Notice the sequence, because life is like that.  It's a process.  One doesn't plant snapdragons one day and expect to have a bouquet the next.  To put it another way, the elevator to success is out of order--take the stairs.

And so, all you would-be gardeners, the next time you're working with your plants think about the process and ask yourself if in your own life you're doing the right things at the right time in the right place and in the right way that will bring you the greatest blessing.  Physical, emotional, and spiritual health is a product of doing the right things at the right time.  Jesus once said, "Consider the lilies, how they grow" (Luke 12:27).

Of course, there are those who don't bother growing things.  For them it's all about silk plants.  They look great and don't require much care.  However, they have no life--it's all about looks.  So pick up your hoe and stick a straw in your teeth.  It's time to head for the garden.