Growing your Life Garden ~ Part I

Have you always dreamed of having a beautiful garden full of beautiful flowers or yummy vegetables that would provide enough with offerings to share?  Or maybe you dreamed of a garden that would bring serenity and peace, a place where you could sit and meditate on the joy of all God's wonderful blessings? Or have you ever imagined a garden that would bring glory to God, one the He would want to spend time in? 

Have you ever dreamed of a life that blessed you with wonderful bouquets of blessings?  Gave you peace and joy?  One that could be shared with others and allowed you to offered a "Token of Love"?  A life that would bring glory to God and one where God dwelled?

Well, it is time to begin growing your own Life Garden!

How does one begin? 

First, you need a plan.  You begin by plotting out your garden.
Ask yourself:
What do I want from my garden?  Do I want to reap love, peace, joy, self-control, knowledge, kindness, faith...

Take inventory of the garden plot?  Look at the conditions of your current life garden ~ is there enough light, is your soil rich and good, does it lack nourishment, is it full of weeds?  

What kind of garden do you wish to have?
Spot plot:  Just a little space needed, low maintenance, doesn't require much water but only bears one maybe two crops.

Row Garden:  This type is well organized.  Not very flexible but produces a good harvest.  Does require a lot of time in weeding between the rows and watering may become more labor intensive.  One must stay rigid, making sure not to go outside of the boundaries, only allows narrow views but one is able to stay on the straight and narrow. 

Raised Bed Garden: With this type of plot design, all your plants are planted together without any lines or rows, utilizes the space very well; also, less weeding is required. The raised bed promotes healthy plants by minimizing soil compaction and improving drainage and aeration. It is very adaptable from season to season and you can increase or change your garden as you grow. The major disadvantage to having a raised bed garden plot is that it takes more time to set up.

Small Farm Garden:  This type of gardening may be for those who are more experienced.  First time gardeners may not wish to begin here but potential is great with much dedication, study and determination.  It does require a great commitment but the harvest is plentiful when done correctly.

So, you have made the commitment to a Life Garden.  You want to work hand in hand with God and be hands on with his creation.  You want to harvest great things and pray that they will be bountiful so that you may share the fruits of your harvest with others.

Let's get started:

Prepare Your Soil ~ 2 Timothy 2:15
Test your soil - determine your needs - do you lack something particular - is your soil hard as clay or acidic, if so you may need to amend the soil, add nutrients or change your planting choices so that you may reach your full harvest potential.  If you are set on a certain planting but your soil may not support that be patient.  You can amend the soil to provide those nutrients so that you can reap your desired harvest.  Get your hands dirty - participate in the process, get to know your garden and seek others who have the same passion.  The more you get involved in the preparation of the soil the more you will be surprised what will come from soil that is properly prepared.  Do your research - go to the source daily, seek and you shall find.

Till the ground - dig a little deeper.  Sometimes you may even have to look to other resources for a better understanding of what your garden truly needs.  Look to those who have been able to cultivate good gardens for more advice and information.  You may need to double dig or even rotary till.

Feed your soil ~ Deuteronomy 11:13-15
A soil that is rich with nutrients will be easier to garden.  Be careful not to over fertilize with chemicals! Stive to maintain a good rich natural balance in your soil.

Keep a Garden Journal ~ Deuteronomy 11:18-20
Writing down what you have learned and being able to go back and recall it is worthwhile.  Record what you have learned and when applied how it affected your garden.  You may learn that some things worked well to improve your Life Garden while others did more harm. 

Be open to change ~ Acts 3:19
You may have to change direction (repentance) when gardening.  Things outside of your immediate control can effect your growth and you may make some mistakes but be deligent and stay focused on your goal.  Look around, you may find rewards where you least expected them. 

Give credit where credit is due ~ Hebrews 13:15
As you work in your life garden look at all the little changes. Enjoy and celebrate the good that is forming.  Take pictures, journal and be aware of your ever changing garden. Most importantly ~ Give glory to your Great Creator! 

Inhale...exhale..."Thank you, my Heavenly Father, for bringing me to this place, for giving me the resources and knowledge and using me to make a wonderful Life Garden that it may be enjoyed by all but more importantly that it may be a place that finds favor in your sight." 

Tell others God has brought you to this place and He is the one who has given you the blessings that you are receiving ~ 2 Corinthians 9:13.