In my garden ...

there are 5 tomato plants.

Last year, I planted tomatoes.

This year, life was chaos ... chaos that started at the end of last summer and seemed to follow us right up to, well, now.

It was well into winter before I ever removed the dead in the water tomato plants from my raised gardens. On some really pretty, 50 degree winter day, I'm sure that pulled on my trusty gray sweatshirt and just started pulling things out and throwing them around. In truth- the wire we used to trellis them on was thrown by the garage and some of it is probably still there.

Sometime in early May stuff started growing. Just stuff. It wasn't until late in the month when some of the stuff that I took for weeds began to emerge as tomato plants.

Over time, those plants have started to bear real tomatoes.

A year ago, I planted some seeds. For a season I saw the fruits of my labor- in fact, we didn't purchase a single tomato last year- we had enough for ourselves, friends and some in the freezer. Finally, at the end of the season, I was so tired of contending with the things- I just let them go. I stopped watering them. Stopped pulling weeds. I didn't even look at them again, really look at them again, until the winter when they looked so far gone I just wanted them out of my sight. So that would be where the pulling out would have fit in to this picture.

As I was watering this morning the Lord spoke to my heart in this amazing way ... assuring me that the seeds that I'm planting in the lives around me are His to grow. And once the seed has been planted in good soil- no matter what comes along ... winds of trial, rain like tears, icy cold of a heart or the scorching heat of the battle ... if He chooses to grow it- it's going to grow and bear fruit.

There's joy in the lesson here- joy that these things are His to grow. But there's sorrow as well. The really amazing heirloom tomatoes- well, they aren't coming back. They are the ones I loved. Took the most time attending. Really worked hard to grow them strong and treasured them. But no- we have a TON of cherry tomatoes. They take a ton of work, take up a lot of room ... and I don't know quite how to handle them ... yet. That sure is similar to some of the seeds that I've been planting in my life lately.

The life lesson here-

There may be seeds that we sow that He doesn't allow to flourish- it's really out of our control.

All we can do is plant the seeds in obedience. And wait. And be thankful for the harvest in due season.