As you may guess from the title, I’ve been to the garden this morning. Inspired by the quiet,  I sang “I Must Tell Jesus”, and let the burdens of my heart roll on down the bean rows. If you’re a gardener I’ll bet you wonder as you pick, ‘now who would like a few of these’, or ‘where can I share those?” Sharing is the BEST product of a garden. Today I choose to share more than the produce.

Holding my little basket of cucumbers and peppers, I turned to be sure I’d covered all the dabs of this and that still producing. As I stood there admiring the large yellow and blue butterfly sipping at the zinnia tips, another motion grabbed my attention – a hummingbird had darted in for a share of the goodness. Also hovering there, was a large bumble bee, all three being in the same square foot of zinnia blooms. You know if that butterfly and bee had been other hummingbirds, there’d have been a chasing and rooting each other out. I’ve never understood why they do that. Sunday morning my husband and I watched a show many of you have also seen: a male with his ruby throat glowing, guard one porch feeder from his perch inside the cherry tree. As soon as another hummer headed for the feeder, he zoomed in and intercepted. Over and over the same greedy race went on, (I only suppose it’s greed, since I don’t really know what his purpose was) until we left the show to get ready for church.

Back to this morning – as I was looking around, I also noticed two big very ugly crusty critters on a sunflower stem. With shields for backs and long legs gripping the stem, they looked offensive, and after I squished them, the odor was even more so. I got to thinking about that small garden being its own community. Like our communities, you get all kinds living there. There are the lady bugs that go about keeping house throughout the plants. A host of insects feed the beautiful birds that drop by. There are blossoms full of nectar for nourishing the bees, birds and butterflies. My pretty squash plants succumbed to a nasty bug no bigger than the size of a grain of black pepper, crawling inside the stems. The good, the bad, the lovely and the ugly; all living together. Which one am I, is what I have to ask myself.  Am I a stink bug, a kill joy, eating up all I can for myself? Am I a butterfly flitting about spreading joy; or a tomato or bean plant blooming to give good things to others? Is my life in any way a sweet aroma to my God? Am I willing to reach out, to share what I’ve been blessed with in my seasons of plenty? “I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives”, (Ecclesiastes 3:12 NKJV)

I went to the garden and sang for strength (“And the Lord made His people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes.” Psalm 105:24); I prayed for the Murdock family to be comforted (“This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life”. Psalm 119:50); I praised God for all these gifts and more. I came back from the garden a little stronger, a little more encouraged, and content. I wish these things for you, friends, as your week unfolds.

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32