It’s a warm and very humid morning here in this part of the Ozarks and I’m finally feeling well enough to try and catch up on my garden. Due to a nagging ailment for the past couple of weeks, I’ve not really felt like getting out there and with all the rain we’ve had lately it has grown into a jungle, but I’m slowly coming back around and have decided to tackle it. Even though it takes a lot of work, I’m nevertheless grateful that God has given me a garden, but moreso because He has given me an interest in such mundane things as raising vegetables and flowers. I’m working on some projects right now in which I find old rotting stumps out in the woods and if they have hollowed-out cores, they make really neat planters.

I realize they probably won’t last very long, but instead of allowing that to dissuade me from using rotten stumps, I sort of rationalize it by recognition of everything else in this world that is so temporary – nothing lasts forever on this old earth so if you can find and enjoy something for just a little while, why not just do it? I’m an old man now and looking at those old decaying chunks of wood and moss, I’m reminded of how little time we have here, so by planting some pretty flowers in them, maybe I can serve to liven up and beautify something a little bit before it completely goes away.

Now as you’ve probably already guessed, this metaphor of something old and rotting getting a sort of makeover could be the basis for a post, and if you have, then treat yourself to a banana, because it does have a lot to do with this story.

The FFA kids at the local high school sell flowers in the spring every year before summer recess, and I usually buy some garden plants and flowers, but this year I decided to try something different with the flowers, hence the rotten tree planters. Some of the projects are actually hollowed-out chunks of what would have been split into firewood, but some of them were a bit punky in the centers, so even though these pieces are not actually rotting, I just took the chain saw and made some cavities for soil and plants. Like these:

Coleus and pink impatiens in hollows of a real rotten stump with a pitchfork embedded in it. I’m kind of a neophyte with flowers and can’t remember the name of the light purple flower in the lower part – if you recognize what it is, please tell me in a comment.

I’ve raised vegetables for many years and as I mentioned earlier, I’m always thankful to God for His grace in giving me an interest in such things. I’d be dishonest if I didn’t also recognize His grace in allowing me to post articles of encouragement to Christian believers and to urge those who might be considering becoming a member of the Kingdom. This is God’s way of allowing me to work in His garden and I’m humbled to the core to be allowed to do so. I personally don’t feel like I deserve the honor, but I am nevertheless enthusiastic about it, because He didn’t make any distinctions about who He invited to help out, Jesus just said the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few [Matthew 9:37]: “Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” So this old geezer is joining in the harvest to help any way I can – so the consummation of this particular metaphor is to say that no matter how old and decrepit something – or in this case, someone – is, something beautiful can be implanted to make it nice before the end – especially something to make it pleasing to the Lord’s eye, and that implanted beauty is Jesus Christ in the heart! All you old-timers – hang in there! And it’s never too early to start for y’all young’uns too. Learn about Jesus while you still have time! It’s looking like this old world’s not going to last a lot longer.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

MK