This past Saturday, Darrell prepared the garden soil for planting.  That means, he took these steps:  Gassed up the tiller and then walked behind the tiller as he maneuvered it up and down the oh-so-short rows that now make up my tiny garden (but the size of the garden is a story for another day).  Not once, not twice, but three times—Darrell tilled the garden soil, preparing it for just the right consistency necessary to receive the seed.  This year I received some packets of seed from The Netherlands, a gift from a beautiful woman, and I am most excited to sow the seed purchased from a foreign market and planted in my backyard garden.

You may wonder, what was Nancy doing while Darrell worked the garden soil.  She was painting; yet for sure, THAT is another story for another day.

Preparing the soil for just the right consistency necessary to receive the seed.

I asked Darrell during our picnic lunch on the front porch (Darrell’s idea) if he thought I could plant some seed later that afternoon to which he replied, “it’s too wet.”  Not yet.  That comment made me somewhat sad because I could already taste the garden vegetables that would come in July (60-75 days after I planted the seed).

God gives us one task when we accept His Son’s offer of salvation—“Go & Tell.”

That’s it; that’s our only task.

As we “go & tell,” we love others as Jesus taught us to love.  Pretty simple.  We are the hands and the feet of our Savior, loving people as Jesus demonstrated.  This is an amazing opportunity to love others as we walk with our Savior through life, walking as we “love on them” like Jesus. We are given the totally awesome gift to share with them what God did for us, to share our testimony—to plant His Seed—witnessing to others about the greatness of Almighty God.

Wow!

Oftentimes of late, when I am working in the garden, I lay-off my vegetable rows with a stringer (two stakes tied together with a string) so that my tiny rows are straight, just in case someone walking across my back yard wants to notice.  Normally, the only one who notices my slightly crooked rows is Darrell (but that too is another story for another day).  In my head as I plant the tiny seed, I can see the luscious and the hearty vegetable that will grace my plate in late summer.  I see one thing, but what REALLY lies in my hand is a “tiny SEED.”

Is that not what God meant when He led Solomon to write:

I will be the first to admit—

• When watching Darrell prepare the soil for planting—I wanted the harvest.
• When sowing the seed—I wanted the harvest.
• When watering the seed as they grew into a tiny plant and poked through the soil—I wanted the harvest.
• When hoeing the so many weeds that attempted to choke out the seedling growth—I wanted the harvest.
• When ever-so-carefully fertilizing so as to not burn up the tender plants—I wanted the harvest.
• When hoeing and tilling the balk of the garden rows to keep the garden clean—I wanted the harvest.
• When watching and waiting and staking the growing plants so they can grow toward the sunlight—I wanted the harvest.
• When picking up the oh-so-many rocks that my garden seems to also grow—I wanted the harvest.
• When watching and waiting & watching and waiting as God grew my garden to readiness—I wanted the harvest.
• And so, then, at just the right time, I enjoyed the harvest—the harvest I wanted for so long, but the HARVEST ONLY GOD CAN BRING.

God gave the man Job these words—

God can do more in one moment than we can do in a lifetime.  What a TRUTH.  It is a great honor to work the soil, plant the seed, water the seed, care for the seed, till out the weeds, watch over the seed—while God grows the seed, preparing the tiny seed for His Harvest.

Thus, I am reminded of the rich, young man Jesus spoke with one day, and the disciples question when the young man voiced his questions to the Savior about eternal life.

SEE & HEAR the VOICE of the Son of God.

GOD DOES!