Take Care of the Soil
Read Mark 4:1-9
This summer, I missed having the opportunity to work in the garden. Oh, I had grand plans for weeding, sowing and growing, but it was not meant to be. Instead, I flipped through gardening magazines as I watched my incisions heal. As time passed and harvest time grew closer, I ached for the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables. Four weeks into my healing process I could not stand it any more and I asked my husband, John, if he would check the shelf at the grocery store for some zucchini bread. When he returned empty handed my heart sunk.
I began to wonder why it was so important for me to have zucchini bread. As I began to focus my thoughts on times when I had eaten zucchini bread in the past, I realized that it was often shared with my mother. It had been a tradition for us to spend an entire day peeling zucchini, mixing the batter, baking the loaves and packaging what our families would not eat that week for winter treats. My seasonal clock told me that it was time for zucchini bread, but this year would be different. No mother. No zucchini. No bread.
What was I going to do?
The next day, I opened my Bible for my daily devotions. The scripture lesson was Mark 4:1-9. You’ll recognize it as The Parable of the Sower. Jesus is talking about the importance of “good soil.” It reminded me of what I had read in one of the gardening magazines which said “Take care of the soil, and don’t worry about the plants. If the soil is good, the seed will take root and grow.” I had not had a chance to prepare the soil in my garden this year and as a result the garden had produced a bumper crop of weeds. I remember thinking that I would have to do better next year and I closed my Bible feeling more than a little disappointed in myself.
That evening, Robert Callaway called to ask if he could drop by the house for a visit. He arrived shortly thereafter, and we had a lovely visit. Just before he left he put a bag on my lap. “Inside is the best zucchini bread in the whole world” he said. “Alice Kennedy makes it for me, because I just can’t get enough of it. I wanted you to have some because I am sure it will help with your healing.” I could not believe my ears. My husband, being the astute man that he is, went directly to the kitchen and cut several pieces and slathered them with butter. He presented them to me with great flourish and a gleeful smile. And at that moment I heard the message that God had been trying to teach me that very morning. “Good soil” refers to those who hear God’s Word, accept it, and bear fruit. They are the people who let God’s Word take root inside of them and grow until they are so full of life that they have to give it away. All year long I had been preparing soil and planting seeds each time I prepared to lead worship, preached a sermon, attended a committee meeting, led Confirmation, talked about the Bible, or sat and listened to a friend who had something on their mind. I just needed to stop and take a good look at my life in order to see what I was growing through my words, actions, and deeds. What I found in my spiritual garden was a bumper crop of friends, some who were inspired at just the right moment to come visit me and bring with them zucchini bread. Thanks be to God.
What are you growing in your spiritual garden?
Rev. Pam Beedle-Gee
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