A Well-Watered Garden

The spring rains have been wonderful for the gardens this year. The plants have become lush and green and are beginning to reap bountiful produce. It's such a blessing when the fruit begins to grow on the plant and your mouth begins to water as you await the first taste of fresh green beans, that red tomato, or juicy sweet corn. Oh, my. There is nothing better than garden produce.

I grew up helping in the garden and a big garden it was. Though I'm sure I grumbled at the work when I was young, I grew to love getting my hands into the rich, dark soil. Watching the seeds pop through cracks and burst forth with eager strength to reach toward the warm sunshine. Then the blooms would appear and we knew the fruit was soon to follow. There were weeds to pull and rows to hoe as we waited patiently, or not.

Finally the tiny fruits would appear on the plants, then they filled out and harvesting began. Using a big bowl or a long shirttail, I'd finger through the leaves and select the ripe produce, harvesting it at the perfect time. What fun looking for the beautifully formed and neatly placed fruit, located along the stems or in a row under ground, each bloom turned into a vitamin-packed vegetable. Then the reward... the meals that came from the harvest.

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail" (Isaiah 58:11 NIV).

How I wish to be like a well-watered garden, never parched or longing for a drink; always fruitful and giving. With the Lord's help I can be that productive garden, well-watered and yielding a surplus of bounty. He will guide me always and satisfy my needs and strengthen my frame. What a blessing.