A Strawberry on the Vine

I don't know why but when end of April rolled around I nearly knocked everyone down in my path on the way to Lowe's for gardening materials. I have never grown a garden but have wanted to for so long.

When we made it to Lowe's I bought different flowers but spent the majority of my time picking veggies and fruit to grow in my garden. Our car was loaded to the brim with goodies for our home.

About a week later, my dad and I worked on building raised garden beds for both his and my gardens. He even donated moss to mix in with my soil to give my garden a viable source of nutrients. I spent that day installing the bed, mixing soil, planting my plants and cleaning up our backyard. I even added the two geese that my grandmother had on top of the fridge when they owned the house to the new garden beds. I don't know why but I donned them my lookout geese for the growing garden.

Every day I would water or tend to my plants. Every day I visited the garden. I even strapped Skip in the carrier and put him on my back to work in the garden. I even found myself just standing there waiting for something to grow on the vine.

And nothing.

I mean absolutely nothing happened. The plants looked the same every day. They were getting bigger but not much change. They looked the same.

But I gave it time. It had only been three weeks since I planted the garden. It just needed time. Right?

And nothing.

I kept tending. I kept enduring mosquito bites. I kept watering.

And nothing.

My dad's garden was growing leaps and bounds. He had so much produce that he couldn't keep up. He was growing cucumbers, eggplant (which he cooked for us last night and it was delicious), tomatoes, squash, green onion, everything. It was growing and growing and growing. But my garden...

Nothing.

I was starting to get discouraged. My early girl tomatoes were giving me nothing. Early girls you say?

Then one afternoon I went to check on the garden and Jane decided she was in to redecorating and had dug up some plants. I cried. I full-fledged cried while trying to salvage a handful of plants. I replanted but lost a lot too.

I was so upset and I asked God, "Why isn't my garden growing? Why am I not getting anything?"

No answer and no produce.

But I kept watering. I kept tending. I kept working. I kept sweating. I kept gardening.

And nothing.

Until Tuesday. I went to check on the plants. My tomato plants are growing so tall that I have added stands to help them. I went to water and there was nothing on any vine. I was so discouraged. I didn't understand why I wasn't getting anything. Zip. Nada. Zilch.

I went to check on the geese at the end of my bed and there it was. One little baby, ruby red strawberry. One strawberry that shined. And I thought PRAISE GOD! Something. It was something.

And just like that I knew exactly what God was teaching me. Patience. (The biggest and consistent lesson I kept having to learn.) Just a whisper of patience Katie. Be patient. Learn from me. Listen for me. Just be patient. I am teaching you. I am shaping you.

This season of life? Well lets just say I am at a time in life where I have things I am learning but I can't do any of it without patience. Without the grace and patience of God. I am as dirty as the soil in the ground but I am also full of good things. Things that help me to grow and produce and share. He is breaking me down to rely on him. This season of life is truly patience.

God is so rich and good in this journey. He is molding me and teaching me. And the best part is that I am growing in him just like my little garden. I am slow, I am dirty, I am pointing my face to him and because of that I growing. I am learning to be patient. He keeps teaching me patience.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12