I start planning my garden around late February, when the ground is hard, frozen and usually covered in snow. I like to look out the window of my kitchen onto my garden plot and dream of sweet, juicy tomatoes, vibrant green zucchinis and cucumbers; rows of frothy topped carrots (hello Mimi’s Carrot Muffins recipe!) and more. It gets me through the long, cold days of winter.
Come mid-July, I’m walking through green rows of vegetables, a large bowl in my hand, picking this and that, planning all kinds of meals and treats –hello, bruschetta! My little cherry tomatoes were made to lie atop a thinly sliced baguette toasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Don’t even get me started on the plans for the zucchini – shredded orange coconut zucchini bread, chocolate cinnamon zucchini cake and oh yes, let us not forget parmesan breaded baked zucchini sticks, or just sliced and sautéed in with a little chicken broth, onion and Italian seasonings! Delicious!
Jalapenos and cilantro wait in anticipation to mix with tomatoes and onions for salsa. The little red potatoes will be steamed and tossed in butter with rosemary, thyme and garlic. I have such plans for all the wonderful items in my garden.
What I never plan for is late snowfall or freezing weather, an infestation of grasshoppers or some fungus that wipes out my plants. I don’t even think about it being so hot it could fry the leaves brown on my green beans or that snails might chew my tender plantings down to little nubs.
I wonder about Adam and Eve – did they plan what they would eat or just know the Lord would provide? When they walked through the garden, did they enjoy the smell of the black, rich earth and feel the soft, green leaves of the plants under their hands?
Did they even think twice about the abundance of goodness in the garden? That they were walking with the God of all creation each day? There was no planning for them – they accepted the mercy of the Lord without question. They had a garden-full of life. They took each day as it came – until suddenly nothing was ever the same. They could never have planned to be separated from God… but apart from Him, their whole world changed. Suddenly, they had to plan for every bite of food and every piece of covering they wore.
I’m a great planner – a professional, actually. I can plan a project, an event, a holiday or a good dinner. I spend my days planning – this week, next month, even the rest of my life. But as the Lord so often reminds me, when I’m out with my bowl filling it with good things from my little garden, He has plans for me; plans for a hope and a future. He’s constantly reminding me that I don’t have to plan so much, I can rest and trust in Him to provide. And boy does he provide… a garden-full of life beyond what I ever could have planned!
C.R. Noble 