Plants under God's care

The weather has been unusually warm this week here in northern Illinois. As I’ve sat in my chair near the window and gazed outside, it seems strange to see spring-like green tinges in the lawn in early January. It starts my thought wandering to summer gardening – looking forward to planting new flowers and seeing them bloom and grow. Ah, but it will be a few months yet before anything really can be done in that way around here!

But as I’ve been reading and contemplating that first chapter of Genesis over the last couple weeks, I realized there is a perfect idea there in verses 11 and 12 to help with gardening. Here are those verses (from NIV):

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

To the regular gardener, it would seem like there are a couple of crucial things missing for plants to spring forth and bear seed: water (in the form of rain or irrigation) and sunshine. But, before God creates the sun, before rain has watered the face of the ground, there are plants – plants that grow and reproduce. All of them – in their infinite variety – growing at God’s command. And all with seed so there will be new growth continuing.

I think I’m going to enjoy pondering these verses more when I’m able to get the trowel out this spring and get some things planted.

Right now, though, I’m also feeling so grateful for a special “find” yesterday. About a month ago our homeowners’ association (we live in a townhouse complex) had work done on the drainage system around our house – essentially digging out all of the old and putting in new. This meant lots of digging and a lot of mess, and some surprisingly into the garden areas around the house (not much communication on details before the work began, unfortunately).

After the workers were done and we’d had an opportunity to scope out what was really done, I was feeling particularly sad because there was a clump iris plants near the front corner of the house that had been just gorgeous last year. The best blooms of any the irises around the yard. But it was right where they needed to dig for part of the new system. And so the irises were gone.

But yesterday, as I left the house to go do some errands, I noticed it – a clump of plants – long greenish leaves rising up – tucked in behind the lilac bush near the corner of the house. It was those irises I thought had been lost to the shovels! I just felt this wash of gratitude – one of the workers had very thoughtfully and carefully dug out those irises and tucked them in a safe place. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed them before. I’d been by a few times. But there they were! The sight made me feel so happy. And I’m going to trust the truth in those verses from Genesis that indicate God as the impulsion for growth in all plant life, and that the kindness of the worker who took the time to safeguard those plants will ensure new blooms and sturdy growth for those irises this year and in the future.

Much joy!