God's Green Thumb

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” // 2 Corinthians 9:6

I always thought I had a bit of a “brown thumb.” I couldn’t grow anything. House plants died. Strawberry bushes shriveled. I even managed to kill a 20-year-old fig tree at my Aunt Mimi’s house.

But then, last summer, we were given a peace lily, and it somehow became my responsibility. I repotted it, set it by the window, put calendar alerts in my phone to remember to water it twice a week, and that “we’re so sorry for your loss” peace lily is thriving. 

It just took a little effort. Some attention. And a willingness to let it be.

I’d killed the fig tree by over watering it. I drowned the poor thing. And my strawberry bushes in college shriveled up because I didn’t stop a friend from tossing cigarette butts into the dirt. And the house plants had always died because I’d forgotten about them.

Without effort, there was no growth. Without tending, there was no fruit. Without proper care, there was no chance for survival. 

Sowing does not happen by accident, and reaping doesn’t just occur whenever we feel like it. We are called to put intention and effort into the life we live, the faith we cling to, with a cheerfulness that comes from a joy that is rooted in God’s promises.

His promise is that if we show up, ready to tend, and care, and put forth effort, the Lord will increase the harvest. He will tend to us, care for us, and show us how great the effort is that He makes for us, the ones He loves and delights in. Our effort is not merely for its own sake. It is a response to the effort God has made for us. Our love of Him is a response to the love He’s poured out for us, which will produce much fruit. 

We don’t necessarily have brown thumbs that kill whatever we touch. We sometimes just have darkened hearts unable to receive the tender care of the Lord. How is the Lord tending to your heart? And what is the Lord calling you to tend to and care for?