garden – Amy Linnea

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Genesis 5:1

So amazing isn’t it?

The reality that we are created in the likeness of God.

God is so creative. So were Adam and Eve.

Imagine them creating their first abode. Their first home.

Did they fashion bowls from the earth, hardening them in the sun?

Find herbs to make hot drinks?

What about clothing, how did they manage that?

You know the leaf thing didn’t last, or did it?

Diapers for the children?

What bedding did they use? Pillows?

Before they left the garden because of sin, I imagine they had a ball discovering all God had created.

Birds, plants, animals, and food.

But when they were banished, it was a different story.

Not sure what their landscape looked like.

Homesteading as the first ever on this earth must have been frustrating, yet rewarding.

I’m sure they came up with all sorts of solutions as they had God’s creative mind.

The chapter ends with the generations of Adam to Noah, each living to almost 1,000 years old.

Lots of time to be creative. Or sin.

Our world complains when parenting more than one child.

Imagine dozens as those early generations likely had.

I know, I can’t either.

Created in the image of God. That’s you, too.

How will you showcase God’s creativity today?

Photos by Gabriel Jimenez, Walter Martin, Chris Abney, & Shoeib Abolhassani on Unsplash

I’m so excited. We have a garden!

Ever plant one?

I’ve always loved planting flowers, but I’m talking food.

Growing your own food. Like actually growing literal food.

We grew some tomatoes and jalapeño peppers last year.

While that was fun, this year’s garden is even funner. 😉

We have acorn squash trying to spread their vines over everything else.

Carrot seeds looking lovely, their soft green tops reaching high above the soil.

Watermelon, pumpkins, cucumbers, herbs, and a whole box of flower seeds!

Tomato plants sprouting up from throwing old tomatoes into the garden soil last fall.

We won’t discuss our sad strawberry plants, yielding a total of 3 strawberries so far.

You get the point. We have 96 square feet of growing goodness. I can’t wait.

How’s your garden? Need to yank some weeds? Redirect your plans back to God?

We all have seeds cast our direction, that with the right ingredients, can take root.

Believing a lie, confirming it with situations, watering it with self-pity. That root would be hard to yank.

Yet, immediately refusing a lie planted in your head, would remove it instantly.

Fertilizing your garden with God’s truth and wisdom would then create a garden where sin’s seeds fail to take root. Or would at least take more effort.

Is your garden full of God’s truth? Are you able to yank these weeds easily?

Gardens like that regularly see fruit. Sometimes there’s a drought, but it’s not because the soil is ugly.

Or is your garden soil so full of weeds, truth can hardly begin to grow?

Squash and cucumber vines love to grasp anything they can, clinging to the next plant in their path.

We must be diligent to shape the vines, freeing the plants they wish to cling.

Like those vines, we must be careful to keep our garden free from not only weeds, but things in our life that want to choke out everything else. Even the good things.

Time to put on your gardening gloves, tie that sun hat around your neck, and dig into the dirt.

Gardens only flourish with purpose. And your garden, hidden within your heart, will only flourish with God.