I grew up on the South Side of Chicago and lived most of my adolescent life in a typical neighborhood. The space between our house and the one next to us was called a “gangway” and it couldn’t have been more than six feet wide. We would smoke and at night, drink beers. Everyone had small back yards with a tree or two. The house on the other side had a giant crab apple tree, which we would raid when the apples were ripe. Two doors down was a little bungalow and in the back yard was a grape vine. I would sneak over there at night and grab a few bunches of sweet, green grapes and rifle them down before anyone could catch me with the evidence. Dumbo sheep do things like that. I knew that someday I would grow my own garden, filled with fruit trees, vegetables and beautiful flowers.
“And the Lord, God planted a Garden eastward in Eden: and there He put man whom He had formed. And out of the ground came all the fruits, vegetables and flowers that the Lord made to grow and the Garden was pleasant to the sight, and very good for food. The Tree of Life was also in the middle of the Garden. . .” Genesis 2:8-9
We are all gardeners. As soon as we are aware of the world around us, we begin to select the fruits and vegetables and flowers we want to include in the garden. . .the garden of our heart. We till the ground. We plant some seed. We water the soil. We watch it grow. We provide the sun that it needs to warm up the seed and call it forth out of the ground. We our brilliant little suns. We produce the garden. We harvest produce from the garden.
Webster defines “produce” as: to bring forward; to exhibit; to bring forth to give birth to; to bring out as a dramatic production; to cause to have existence. That is the verb. . .our own actions as gardeners. The definition continues: something that is brought forth naturally and as a result of effort and work; a result produced; the yield; the offspring of our work. The youngest Lily has her hand raised again. “Yes, Love”? She is always so excited when His Fragrance fills the air. She is Wise for her age. She said, “We have been with child, we have been in pain. We have as it were, brought forth wind. We have not produced any deliverance (real fruit, real flowers, real vegetables) in the earth.” Isaiah 26:18 She giggled as she repeated the words, “We have brought forth wind.”
Such a variety of gardens that we grow. Families are gardens. We start out with two fruit trees and the seeds fall to the ground and bear more fruit. Children are the flowers of our garden. I feel a little sad right now as I am reminded of those moments in the past when my Jade plant received better care from me than my kids did. And if it weren’t for the fact (one of those, “When it comes to God, if it’s too good to be true, it is true facts) that everything that happens to His little flock will only serve them, and the little ones they love, I would only despair. He does make all things work together for their good.
“Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow? With cockle shells and silver bells, and pretty maids in a row.” How does your garden grow? What have you planted. What have you reaped from your efforts? What have you produced? How’s the gardening going? Are others in your life still enjoying the fruit of your labors?
The dumbos have heard Him say, “You shall be as a tree planted by the Waters that spreads out her roots by the River and shall not see when the heat comes; it won’t scorch her, but her leaf shall be green. When the drought comes (for it always comes), she will never cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8 Fruit better than gold. The eagles know. They soar over the Colors of the Rainbow of His Love and are filled with the Fruit that comes from Him alone.
“They that dwell under His shadow shall return to the garden. They shall revive as the corn and grow as the Vine. The scent shall be as the Wine of Lebanon. They say, ‘I have heard Him and I have observed Him. God has said, I am like a green fir tree. From Me alone is your Fruit found.” Hosea 14:7-8
He is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith, Self-control. The Fruit of His Spirit. Spiritual Produce for His little flock. Produced by Him. All given freely. All Free.
A Good Moment 