How does your garden grow?

In the bible there are 47 verses about seeds and 46 verses about plants and 28 verses about gardens. (https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Gardens) I live in the Midwest, Central Illinois to be exact and we love our gardens and our farmers! This year we have had enormous amounts of rain. So much rain, in fact that some farmers are not even going to be able to plant their crops this year! I usually plant a garden, but again because of the weather and work I had not done so yet. Yesterday I decided to "git 'er done!" As I was doing some weeding-well, if I am honest it was a garden of weeds that had to be pulled before I could even attempt to plant anything in that same space. I was pulling and sweating and I was very dirty and then when I finished I still had to plant the vegetables! Once I was done, however, I stood there watering my garden and thinking about the work I had done in my garden and how my life has felt a lot like my pre-weeded garden lately. Neglected, full of weeds, overwhelmed with work. Then I remembered a nursery rhyme from my childhood. Do you remember the nursery rhyme that goes, "Mary, Mary quite contrary. How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row!" I have known this nursery rhyme for most of my life but I never really thought about what it meant or how it could relate to my life and my walk with Christ. The word contrary in its simplest form means "opposite" or "disagreeable." Was the Mary in this nursery rhyme not really taking care of her garden and in spite of that it grew anyway? Or was she just a disagreeable girl who could care less if her garden grew or not? What if you substitute your name in place of Mary's and this "garden" is really your walk with Christ we are referring to? Does that peak your interest? I will admit that at times in the past year or two I have felt like I was doing the opposite of what God wanted me to be doing with my life. I have been harboring feelings of discontentment and feeling like I could just run away somewhere and hide out for a while until the storm passes. I have been disagreeable and had "ugliness" in my soul in response to rejections in my professional and personal life. I have felt very contrary! My life "garden" was not growing, it was being choked by weeds of despair, depression and discontentment. I turned to God's word every chance I could get, sometimes I felt blessed by it, but sometimes I just had to lay my head down and cry. God's word will bring comfort but also realization in life when it is needed the most. Some of you may be familiar with the parable of the sower of seeds or the parable of the farmer. Jesus spoke to his people using stories about everyday activities that they could relate to. I feel that these stories are still relevant today. Take the parable of the sower of the seeds; there are seeds that have fallen on the side of the road, there are seeds that have fallen on rocky ground, there are seeds that have fallen onto thorny ground and there are seeds that have fallen onto good soil. I really like how Jesus explains the parable of the seeds in Matthew 13:18-23; “So listen to the meaning of that story about the farmer. 19 What is the seed that fell by the road? That seed is like the person who hears the message about the kingdom but does not understand it. The Evil One comes and takes away what was planted in that person’s heart. 20 And what is the seed that fell on rocky ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and quickly accepts it with joy. 21 But he does not let the teaching go deep into his life, so he keeps it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching he accepted, he quickly gives up. 22 And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and the temptation of wealth stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit[a] in that person’s life. 23 But what is the seed that fell on the good ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and understands it. That person grows and produces fruit, sometimes a hundred times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes thirty times more.” I can look back on the past couple of years and I definitely see myself as the seeds among the thorny weeds. I was letting worry and anxiety rule my heart and mind, instead of God. I wasn't producing much fruit, or if I did produce some I am sure there was a worm or two present. Sometimes in life we have to get through those weeds and as we struggle to pull those things out of our lives that are causing us to choke we can't see the beautiful garden that God has planted before us. God is there in the midst of those weeds calling to us and using his "tools" to loosen our hearts from the things that are preventing us from growing in Him. We have to fight the good fight and be willing to lose some of ourselves in order to gain growth with God. The other day I stumbled across some old song lyrics I had written several years ago from a song I titled, "The Garden of Life"; "In the Garden of Life, you reap what you sow. So get down on your knees and just let Him know. Plant the seed of Jesus in every soul you meet, for He will make your life complete." My garden is far from perfect and there is definitely still some weeding to be done, but it's a journey. Allow God to use you as one of His "tools" in order to inspire others to keep their gardens growing and blooming as an inspiration for others. Blessings-Nicole PS-Here is a picture of my little garden! Now go get dirty:)