How Does Your (Spiritual) Garden Grow?

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?"

I remember my grandmother reciting those words to me from the Mother Goose nursery rhymes book she favored. My grandmother was also quite the gardener, which probably explains her love of this particular nursery rhyme. She had two gardens in two counties and canned, froze, and preserved to her heart’s content. Her idea of a good time was teaching young me how to can bread and butter pickles.

Years later, after Grandma Ruth died, my mother and I took up the gardening – but we had a penchant for flowers, preferring to get much of our produce fresh or frozen from the store at bargain prices. Five kids in a busy household in town didn’t quite fill the bill for homesteading.

My love of flower gardening grew and is a remnant of the good memories I have with my mother – now 22 years gone. These days I share that pleasure with my husband and adult daughter. Growing things is an awesome miracle of life. Our Creator certainly knew what he was doing when He gave us an earth filled with seeds and plants and food to grow. His scriptural references to growth – vines, grapes, mustard seeds, and such – show that He loves this aspect of His creation as well.

His favorite ‘crop’, however, is us humans. We grow in love and faith and hope as He tends to our souls. In return, we are asked to bloom where we grow- no matter what the environment, nourishment, or pruning we get. We are asked to blossom into children of God, with an eye toward Eternity with Him.

To Him be the glory!

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Here we are again, joining Kate Motaung for Five Minute Friday #fmf - a fun way to participate in timed free writing with other bloggers.

Today's #fmf prompt is 'grow'. Follow the link to check out some truly inspirational entries.