In reading Draw the Circle, Mark Batterson in his unmistakable way, captures and holds my attention with the reading for Day 12. “Sow the Seed – If you have faith as small as a mustard seed….” (Matthew 17:20). How believably appropriate! He writes about the Sequoa seed and God’s prolific creativity. He writes about William Jennings Bryan’s description of the mystery of the watermelon seed. Then throws in the mustard seed facts and its germination process. All this, as just the day before, I had tried to plant two Gardenia bushes and an Abelia bush in a newly made flower bed under our living room window.
What I hadn’t figured on encountering was the East Tennessee soil! It’s not anything like I know soil to be! It’s hard packed, red clay, rocks and slate. Uh huh. And determined as I can be, it wasnt going to stop me from planting those bushes! As I dug and scraped and raked and removed the newly laid grass covering, I struggled. Really!
After designing and taking a big back yard in Mississippi from just grass to huge corner flower beds filled with day lillies, daisies, ornamental grasses, red tip bushes and so much more, plus a circular bed filled with tall vibrant deep red day lilles, a bird bath and sundial under the massive pecan tree in the center of the yard that all thrived in that wonderful Mississippi dirt. Then after moving into a town home with no backyard, in Washington state, I surrounded our outdoor patio table and chairs with containers, using a variety of potting soils, for the different plants I’d never seen before. The hanging baskets that just grew and grew, almost touching the ground at the bottom of the six foot privacy wall they hung on. Unique small flowering trees that attracted humming birds all thrived in that rain forest sprinkler system of the lush Pacific Northwest. Now how was I going to tackle this Tennessee ‘dirt’?
“Build up” came the random thought! If you can’t dig down that deep, build up! It took You Tube to show me how! Make a hole deep enough to accomodate the roots/root ball and add compost soil. Put in the plant lightly cover the roots to anchor it, then add 2-3 inches of top soil. Finally, add a layer of mulch to keep the moisture in after watering. Thank you You Tube.
As I dug those three 4-6 inch holes, I thought of the parable of the sower and the hard soil the seeds landed on – “Some fell on rocky places where it didnt have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” (Mark 4:5-6) My gardening interpretation: without life giving, sustaining soil there is no growth. Nuture and water the bushes. Just like in spiritual life it has to be nurtured or as it says later in verses 16 and 17 “…seed sown on rocky places hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they only last a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” Then this thought – that’s just like mentoring, discipleship! All that prep work is to ensure there is growth, and if you prepare the soil well, they will grow.
We need the patience of a planter, the foresight of a farmer, the mindset of the sower. If we plant and water, God WILL bring the INCREASE. (Mark Batterson)
And the best part? YOU will be rewarded for all your care and effort. So go dig some holes and keep on sowing and planting.
