TALES FROM THE GARDEN 2 – The Earthworm Company

TALES FROM THE GARDEN 2 - The Earthworm Company

By Elizabeth Adekanmi

Spring is fast giving way to summer! Avid gardeners would have been at work in their gardens for some time now. Just about now, the evidence of their weeks of careful planning and planting will be peeping out of the soil.  So many things work together to make this possible. There are also unseen or not so obvious contributors or workers involved in the process.  For example, rain, sunlight, microorganisms, decomposing agents and the seed itself. One of such not so obvious contributor is the earthworm. It’s this organism we’ll be looking at in this write up.

Our Lord Jesus is in the habit of using what people are familiar with to pass across what He wants to teach them. He chooses as His object lesson or teaching aid what people are already seeing and engaging with to bring them to the understanding of eternal truth. Scriptures in places will call our attention to observe God’s creation for specified lessons:

         Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:                          Pro 6:6

              Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and             the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord. 

                                                                                                                                                Jere 8:7

Likewise, following this example, let’s take a trip to the garden and pay attention to the humble earthworm.  Earthworms are not glamorous creatures that are especially loved by humans, infact, many us pay them no attention. Yet they play an important role in our ecosystem. Without going into too much scientific jargon, this organism break down dead and decaying leaves helping to release their nutrient back to the soil. Their activities improve soil structure, aerating the soil and improving drainage.  What is then the lesson to pick up from them?   

The first lesson is the fact that they are silent labourers. They silently carry on their God given roles without drawing attention to themselves or asking for reward.  How much we need this attribute! How we need the Lord to take away the restlessness within, the attention seeking, praise craving thing within us.  This problem is the reason we feel offended when our effort is not rewarded or recognised.  You will notice that even in our churches, there will be more people willing to be ushers or serve in the choir than those volunteering to be sanctuary cleaners. It is the same reason why someone barely commune with God privately; no quite time but she is present in every prayer room there is.  Let’s consider these words of Jesus:

     And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

                                                                                                                          Matt 6:5-6

   Is this to say the Lord Jesus is against corporate prayers?  Not at all, reading the entire chapter and taking it in context, we will see how He laid before us the need  for and how to cultivate the virtues of the Christian life. He instructed us to do so without public announcement or away from public view. Why? So we don’t miss the reward He gives.

     Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Matt 6: 2

 To overcome this restless, we must be willing to lay our actions before the Lord and allow Him examine our hearts for the real reasons behind them. He calls us to consciously question our motive. Once revealed to us, we must not excuse or explain them away. We must respond with repentance whether the next door neighbour feels it’s necessary or not.  If we are sincere with the Lord, He will arise with healing on His wings for our internal woes.

Secondly, unlike the slug, they are not destructive. The slug not only eats into your vegetable but will also leave a trail of shining slime behind.  Earthworms don’t attack living plants. Even their waste which is called Worm casting not only nourish the plants but also sustain other beneficial microorganism. May our presence bring life to everywhere God will have us be. When we walk through the produce aisle at the supermarket and see those leafy greens and salad leaves, none of us think of the earthworm. We select the best ones in the basket and that’s as much thought as we give to the item.  These humble creatures seek no reward yet enriching others.  This we must seek the Lord to make out of our lives. It must be an on-going request because the battle within and the temptation without are ongoing.

I commend us to God as we seek Him for grace to live an overcoming Christian life.

GARDEN TALES

THE GARDEN TALE

By Elizabeth Adekanmi

During the spring/summer of 2020, as we were all in the middle of lock down with only essential services open and children activities at a standstill, I was desperate for creative ways of engaging the children. One of the things we did was to try our hands at container gardening. Off I went to the shop to buy seedlings and seed packet. We got some strawberry plants that were beginning to flower, compost and suitable containers.  After transplanting the seedlings, being eager to eat our very own strawberries, we added some plant food we had at home. We tried to attract pollinators to get the job done. With daily watering and care, we were convinced nature will take its course and we’ll soon be having health dessert to accompany our dinner.

 After a while, instead of the flowers turning into fruits, they all withered and fell off.  The plant began to grow leaves wildly, sprawling everywhere.  Surprised by the turn of events, we doubled our watering schedule in order to combat the heat, we wanted to do our best hoping the plant will come round and bear the desired fruit before the season come to an end. To our disappointment, nothing of such happened. All other things we planted; Spinach, tomatoes and potatoes grew and were harvested but not the strawberry. 

 So, that planting season came to an end, and all the annual plants were spent. Some bugs began boring holes in the leaves just then. In came the frost and winter. Often am saddened when I see these strawberry plants that had failed to bring the much-expected fruits. One morning, as I looked them over, I was somewhat infuriated by how much space they have taken and decided to pulled them off. As I yanked at the first plant, a thought came to me to leave them and see what becomes of them. This brought to mind the biblical story of the gardener who pleaded with the land owner to allow him dig round the fig tree and manure it one more year.

But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. Luke 13:8NKJV

Fast forward this spring/summer, the plants blossomed and flourished. Before we knew it, they were fruit laden. Honestly, you have never eaten a more delicious strawberry! The fruits were not only tasty, but also kept well. They did not rot quickly like we know commercial strawberries to do.  

As mundane as the situation narrated above may be, it is a picture of many situations we find ourselves in life. It got me seriously thinking. If in our disappointment and frustration we had uprooted the poor plants, we would not have had the privilege of seeing the plants’ turnaround, let alone enjoy the sweet fruits they produced. The plants were victims of my weight of expectation. When they did not perform as expected, my initial reaction was to uproot them.

 Likewise, is there anything in your life that you have invested time and effort into but have not yielded the desired result? Have you nursed great expectations that have been met with disappointments? Could it be your children or does it relate to your marriage? Extended family situations or relationships you have built over time?   It might be true that like us, you applied the wrong fertilizer. Or you killed it with too much love as it was with our watering schedule.  Whatever the case may be, may I counsel you not to uproot it yet? Stop your comparison.  That child is an individual sent here by God with a specific purpose attached to a predetermined time.  Other children that age might have achieved this and that, he or she will get to that milestone at God’s appointed time.  Late blooming roses bring the most delight in my opinion. 

If it relates to a difficult marriage, our Lord’s first miracle in Cana was at a wedding. There was no need for a miracle until the wine ran out!  Nagging your spouse to compliance is a poor strategy; it’s not only tiring but might only result into hardening them. It’s solely the voice of the Maker that a creature cannot refuse!  Filing for divorce? Hear the master say: “Fill the water pots with water”.

The best we can do is to hand it over to God and trust Him with the situation. A change of approach or method might be what is required. But how do we know how best to go about it when we ourselves are disconnected from the source- Jesus Christ?  Has the ‘flowers’ of salvation and consecration withered from our lives? Are we just sprouting the leaves of religion?  Or we are being fed upon by the bugs of anxiety and worry? The first step towards recovery is to retrace our steps back to the cross, be reconciled with God and surrender our lives and our living. The Lord Jesus testified of Himself in John 15 Vs 1 as the true vine and God the Father, the Vinedresser. The job of pruning and purging are His. The more we abide in Him, the better we are able to know and tell the difference between what should be cut off and what needs tending for fruitfulness. In fact, He Himself will see to it.

Our request should not merely be to eat fruit from the ‘plant’ but we must be prepared for whatever outcome He brings us in His sovereignty. That His will be done in every situation must be our resolve.     

In some instances, the ‘seed’ we were given to ‘sow’ by nature will take long to mature. The temptation to dig it off, and go for a quick fix then is great especially if others around us are celebrating their harvest.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.   Proverbs 13:12 NKJV            

 The beauty and potential of the expected harvest when it eventually comes is well worth the pain of waiting. The admonition God gave us through Apostle Paul is:

 

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.  Galatians 6:9NKJV

 And don’t allow yourselves to be weary in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming!       Galatians 6:9 TPT       

I commend us to God as we consider these things, that He will help us to make corrections and seek His strength as it relates to us.  Amen.                                    

 

Introducing a screen free time in your home

Our homes are filled with various screens; the television screen, our mobile phones, our iPad and the likes. The more time we spend on these screens the more time we spend apart from each other. Sit down and calculate how many minutes, hours you spend daily on your phone or television screen?
As an example, I spend time writing, recording, answering and responding to all sorts of issues. And there are some of you out there whose vocation/profession involves the screen, and if you are not careful you will find yourself engaged with the same at home.  And you know that too much time on screen affects your eyesight, too much time sitting down at the front of the screen has an effect on your back, too much time sitting down by the screen steals your time!
And I am sure there will be many more side-effects of too much screen time. How then can you introduce a screen time free to your home? It is possible to introduce screen-free time into your home.
You may have a rule of no T.V before a certain time in your home.
You may have a rule of a certain amount of time on all technology that has screens in your home.
You may have a particular time of the day, where everybody submits their phones, iPad to a certain place, and the T.V off for up to two hours while people go and take a siesta, or spend time listening to God, read their Bible, books or do something fun together as a family. Particularly when you have little ones, having story time helps a time when you pick two or three books to read to everybody and encourage the older ones to read out for the younger ones to listen and thereafter take questions and responses.
In order to make this a fun time, you may provide a little snack and make it interactive so that the children long for a screen-free time in the home.
May the Lord who gave you the gift of your home, also help you to know how to make sure screen time is not causing a huge disruption in your family relationship.
There are several practical steps laid out in this article and my suggestion is that you would take a notebook, write down the ideas you have gleaned from them and get praying. Ask the Lord to help you prioritise, adapt and live out the instructions He has given. May the Lord be your guide as you press in to become the godly wife and mother that brings glory and honour to His name in Jesus’ name.

Stand not alone

There is evidence from statistics of wives doing life by themselves. They are unplugged from the community of other ladies that may be of help to them in their journey, meanwhile, wives at all levels need the support of other wives and mothers. The road to godly motherhood and godly marriage is like a roller coaster ride, God knew that there would be highs and lows, hence the reason He plants people on our path to help and guide at these seasons of life.  Have you a community of ladies? The benefits of communities of like-minded wives and mothers are great and so rewarding if well managed.
How to get plugged into a community of godly wives and mothers.
There are many groups helping and supporting each other, face to face and virtually. Technology has also helped people to form communities of support and encouragement to each other. In order to get plugged into the support of focus group, below are some of the things I will encourage you to do.
  1. Speak to people in your church: There are small groups of women in local churches that support and care for specific people groups, why not ask if there is one for wives and mothers in your local church, and if there is none, why not pray on starting one in your local church? Approach your leaders, and if given the go-ahead, speak to the older ladies and encourage them to join the group in order to guide and guard the younger wives and others in your local church.
  2. Google up “Groups for Christian mothers or wives: There are many groups for wives and mothers on WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram and various social media platforms, while I will say be careful as to which group you get yourself into, read the ethos/beliefs of the group and view some of the activities they are involved in and see if that meets your personal standards.
  3. Tried referral: Sometimes, friends may refer you to groups online or some that meet face to face, why not give it a try and see how beneficial it might be to you.  A word of caution, do not be dragged into many groups, particularly online groups, be disciplined as to how many groups you want to be part of, or else you will find yourself being Jack of all trade and master of none. There was a time when I subscribed to many groups on Facebook, and when I needed to get into the useful groups that I needed, it seemed all muddled up. I had to take extra time deleting and removing myself from such groups so that I can focus on the ones that matter to me.
  4. Books: One way that I have found community is through books, I have devoted myself to the reading of many books from different backgrounds and different authors. With this, I found myself learning like a university student, taking all sorts of courses to build oneself up and keep myself occupied positively. The only difference is that there is no opportunity to speak vocally or live with the persons involved in the book, having said that, you may be able to write to the author of a particular book you are reading.
Communities help to develop and grow you into the wife and the mother and ultimately, the woman you ought to be, and this happens if you find the right community, and through these communities, you may be able to build good and godly friendship and support.
There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him Ecclesiastes 4:8-10
 

The time is now

Time is one chief resource God has given to all human beings, we are all allocated twenty-four hours every day, and within this time we must discover what we ought to do.  As young wives and mothers, we must be very wise with our use of time. We must make sure our time is invested in the right things and at the right time.  Whatever season your marriage or motherhood is in, I want you to know that the time is now. The question to ask is, the time is now, for what?”
  1. To enjoy your marriage: whatever the basis and reason for getting married to your husband, and whatever the situation is now in your personal marriage, you can by the grace of God make it a time to enjoy that marriage. Marriage is a gift for this earth, Jesus told us in Luke 20 that there are no weddings nor marriages post resurrection. You only have this life to enjoy your marriage. There maybe a number of things happening in/to your marriage that cause it to appear  unenjoyable, you can find help as you turn to the pages of the Bible, talk to godly women and much more talk to God.  Do not postpone or banish the enjoyment of your marriage. It is possible to get the best enjoyment out of your union.
  2. To enjoy motherhood: motherhood is a lifetime journey and whatever stage you are in your mothering journey, make the decision to enjoy your children. The time is now to enjoy the company of your toddler, preteen, teenager, young adult etc. as they grow so quickly. How do you do this? Make every effort to put up with your child’s shortcomings and mistakes, correct in love and accept your child without reservations.  Know that every single second, minute and hour that you have with your child is a privilege and provides the opportunity to enjoy that time with him/her. Make it your priority to get involved in the life and development of your child. Maybe you spend long hours working so that you can give your child the best education, clothing and social life.  As laudable as these may be, the gift of yourself and your time given to your child, creates long term memories and causes  bonding with you and that child.  Postpone not the day of enjoying your motherhood to tomorrow, nor the time to forgive your husband to another day, the time is now.  The time is now to build a solid relationship with your spouse, and the time is now to build an enduring relationship with your child. The time is now, waste it, no more!!!! For everything the Bible says there is a time. Ecclesiastes 3:1