God Moment - Blake Daniel - March 24, 2020
Several years ago, I built a raised garden bed behind our house. Erin loves to garden (me, not so much), so the boys and I gathered the materials and put it together for Mother’s Day to surprise her. We had one good season of beans and veggies and tomatoes, but, I’m sorry to say, it’s been neglected ever since. So, what do we do when the coronavirus looms and we’re stuck at home in an effort to practice healthy social distancing? We go back to the garden.
At Erin’s request, I (quickly) ran to Lowe’s on Saturday for some fresh topsoil and compost, and the boys and I set to work yet again: tilling the soil, spreading the dirt, working with the sun on our backs as the spring breeze blew. It was so fun. We didn’t plant any seeds yet – that will come after the rain subsides – but we have recommitted ourselves to the garden. Who knows if anything will grow this year? Who knows if our work will pay off? Who knows what the future holds? We do this work just because it matters, because it is good and healthy, because it connects us to the soil and to each other and to God, who is the creator of life, the giver of all good things, and the one who loves us so much that he died that we may live.
Martin Luther supposedly said, “If I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would plant a tree today.” This is a good word for us. Not because the world is ending but because, as Christians, we live with the end in mind. We have the hope of heaven. Because Jesus was raised and lives for eternity, we will too! But this doesn’t mean our current circumstances don’t matter. On the contrary, having a robust faith for the future causes us to care about the present even more. This, I think, is what Jesus meant when he said, “The kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21).
In other words, now might be the perfect time to plant a garden.