Pulling Weeds & Planting Seeds
God created human beings in his own image… God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply.” – Genesis 1:27-28
During my childhood summers, I always looked forward to spending time with my grandparents. Staying at their house was like a vacation for me… and probably for my parents, too. Part of my grandparents’ routine included working in their garden. They maintained a plot of land where they grew beans, corn, lettuce, and root vegetables. Working in the garden was never the highlight of my time with them, but it was a helpful learning experience.
Their garden flourished because of the undeserved blessings of sunshine and adequate rainfall, but also because of their labor: hoeing and removing weeds, eliminating pests, adding fertilizer (the parts of the visit I didn’t enjoy as much). My grandparents’ garden taught me lessons learned in that first garden in Genesis… that God provides blessing, but also expects us to take up our responsibility. Fruitfulness results from a combination of blessing and hard work.
Being fruitful in marriage is about far more than producing children. Our marriages can generate creativity, love, faithfulness, fun, security, wisdom, kindness, honesty, serenity – beautiful produce beyond our imagination. But, those good things only come when our intentional effort combines with blessing.
Take a step to working in the garden of your marriage relationship by being part of the Grace Filled Marriage Conference with Tim Kimmel this weekend. You’ll be glad you did! Sign up here to attend. Bring a friend with you. And, if you forget to sign up, you can register at the door. Tell them I said it was ok.
Titus
P.S. Weeds spring up without any effort. The same rain and sunshine that allows vegetables to grow also gives rise to weeds. Sometimes the catalyst for our growth is a blessing in disguise. Water may fall through a violent storm or we feel “baked” by oppressive heat. But, God adds his blessings of grace to help us grow in every season. I trust you will find that to be true.
