As an LDS people, we have been commanded to plant a garden. I always joke about this one. We were commanded to PLANT a garden-not weed a garden and not even harvest a garden. Okay, all kidding aside, this is one commandment that I struggle with. I try to do this, but I am not always successful in my efforts.
Truth is, I claim not to have much of a green thumb. It could be that I don't give my garden a whole lot of attention. There are so many things I would rather do and so many things that I am much better at. It could be that I don't really know what I am doing. Sure, I know which plants are weeds and which are the vegetables, but the vegetables don't always grow. Take this year for example. I know I planted carrots, but the five that came up looked like weeds, they were so randomly placed. (I felt a little better when my aunt, who has a green thumb, said her carrots didn't do well either.) Now, on the other hand, the zucchini came up. I have a few that will make great baseball bats.
The thing I've noticed is this. I can plant a garden. I can care for it and pray for the best. But I can't control the weather and I can't always keep the deer away from the fruits and vegetables. But when I follow the council of our church leaders and plant that garden, my family is always blessed and we have plenty of food to eat and plenty of food to store. The key it is that we keep the commandment. The Lord measures our success in his own terms, not ours.
For me writing is a similar thing. We are commanded to develop the talents we have been blessed with. We each choose a different way to do this, and we all have different goals in mind. When I write, I do it hoping that I will be published one day. I have chased different types of writing and changed my goals slightly over the years. I believe someday I will get there, but the true test is that I don't give up. I know I pass the test when I see the blessings that come to me and my family as my talents grow and blossom. And just like my garden, the fruits may not always come the way I expect them to, but they will come one way or another.
1 comment:
I tell you, gardens are a trial we are called to. We have a neighbor that the whole neighborhood 'hates'. His garden is not very big, but everything in it is HUGE. The corn is 6 feet tall, the tomato bushes are at least 4 feet if not 5, and the pumpkins are ready to be picked. I don't even look at his side of the road when I go past anymore. It just makes me too tired. Our tomatoes aren't even turning red yet...
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