The problem is the Hawksbeard roots are thread-like and many. Pulling the Hawksbeard up by the roots, I noticed threads breaking off into the dirt and realize I may have to burn the dirt and replant some of my baby trees into some new soil. The damage may already have been done. Time will tell. Next time, I won't plant invasive species in my garden. Lesson learned. I am glad I am learning this early on before I have land and a huge garden! It's funny when I look back and think about my inexperienced perception of plants. In the past, I felt "sorry" for plants when people in botanical forums would say that certain pretty or exotic plants were invasive and would emphatically entreat others to "quickly rip them out and burn them immediately!" I didn't fully understand what the big deal was, but I experience explained it to me loud and clear!
While learning about invasive species, I have also been enjoying growing new things while learning how to garden using "companion gardening," which is a way of gardening that uses specific plants to benefit and or protect one another. For instance, tomatoes are helped by onions and vise versa. Nasturtiums, on the other hand, protect the tomato plant from pests. I have yet to discover what protects Nasturtiums, but it won't be long until I have the joy of finding that out that as well!
Gardening is a wonderful learning tool for life. Not only is it relaxing and meditative, but often when gardening, a calming life lesson will spring into my mind. I will share one I had a while ago, and I love the simplicity of it. As I was pruning my rose bushes, I wasn't sure if pruning it would kill the entire bush. I had heard that if you don't cut a bush correctly, it can die. I am a self-taught gardener (and still learning quite a bit), and I remember in the past learning about pruning. There are certain angles and places for specific plants that you need to cut into specifically, and I wasn't sure I was doing it correctly.
I proceeded to cut the stems that were growing too fast and shooting out into different directions. I snipped here and there, and even cut off some beautiful roses and potential bulbs. I did this so the bush would have enough nutrients for the new growth and not be starved from too many sprouting branches. I had to prune so the whole bush would benefit, and that meant cutting some long term old branches too- the life of the plant (or so it seemed). If I didn't prune her, she would eventually wither up and die from lack of nutrients. You can't keep feeding everything. You have to selectively cut old and new stems and branches.
God sometimes prunes us when we think we are the most fruitful. It can be in the prime of life or anytime before or after. Friends may come and go, the ones we thought would stay, leave, the ones we wish would leave stay. The decisions we make may fall short. The love we cherish may die, and so on. The pruning starts, and it often hurts. We do not like pain, and we sometimes lash out at God or secretly think God has it out for us. The truth is, trials build up our faith, and they grow our character. Difficulties make us bend and grow through the thick dark soil of life. The seedling pushes through rock and soil and has to break out of hard seed. Striving helps the plant grow and become more resilient against storms and more.
Similarly, the Bumble Bee benefits from the winds resistance, and it flies against all the odds as the striving makes its tiny wings grow stronger and stronger. Without the resistance of the wind, the bee will die from shriveled wings as he wouldn't be able to forage for food. Gravity is that way too. Without that resistance, our bones, muscles, and organs would grow weak. That's why prolonged stays in space are detrimental to astronauts, as they must workout with resistance weight, or they will wither up like a flower and die.
Humans naturally want to feel and experience pleasure as much as we possibly can. We all love adventure, excitement, and the thrill of life. I know I certainly do! We often wear ourselves out with much good - and God knows it. He loves us, and he often has to slow us down. It isn't until afterward we realize how much better of a human being we are after it all. No one likes their wings clipped. It hurts. But as the story of the rose goes, we wouldn't be as beautiful and beneficial to onlookers if we weren't pruned and cut like the roses. The roses are beautiful once they are pruned, and the blossoms produce three times as many beautiful flowers as they would have if they were left to themselves. The entire bush is benefited by the cutting and the pruning.
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit" ().
I realize how good of a Father we all truly have. Once we allow our pruning to take place- we are somehow a little more introspective and enjoy deeper experiences. We become nobler in our endeavors and often listen more to others before we speak. Sometimes it's humility that's needing to be cultivated in our lives; other times, it's a more reflective calm depth of spirit that's required. Many times we need to slow down and ask our Father what his will is. Either way, as his children, we can choose to let the pruning do its bountiful work in us, or we can keep growing in a direction that feels and looks right but may not be his leading, and we often pay the price in our relationships and our health.
Some of the most challenging times of my life have been difficulties in my health or relations, and those times have taught me more about people, life, and myself than anything else possibly could. I am genuinely grateful for those lessons and seasons now when looking back, but at the time, I would have given just about anything to get out of those uncomfortable pruning moments. Can you relate?
Have you ever looked back through the years and seen how the growth of your character developed through difficult times? Do you see how it matured you and or taught you something you may not have been aware of before? Did it soften you? Did it make you talk a little less or a little more? How has a difficult season produced more fruit in your character? Do you leave a sweet impression on others where ever you go as a result?
Could you use a little cultivating and pruning from the great Master Gardener above? Maybe you can take a few moments today and think about some of your own difficulties in life and ask yourself if you see some unhealthy patterns? I bet if you are truly sincere in learning, you will see some patterns. It's okay. You're human like the rest of us. Life is for learning. You still have time. Take that precious time and ask yourself, what is it that God desires to teach you? Uncomfortabiity is a great place to stop and listen. It's when we no longer feel uncomfortable in our lives that we have perhaps stopped growing. Don't let that happen to you. Take some time today and be silent and ask yourself how you can leave people in a better place than you found them. Maybe it's you who needs the love and attention of your own mind. Ask yourself how your unique patterns are sculpting you and your future. If you are reading this, then it's never too late to start cultivating rich soil for a beautiful life. You can start today and bloom where you are planted.
Comments
Post a Comment