It’s that time of the year again…
It’s time to winterize the garden. I must admit, this is one of my least favorite annual tasks- not because it is dirty or cold, but because it is much less hope-filled than the spring task of laying the garden and planting the seeds. Earlier this week, my fiancée and I spent time removing the elephant ear bulbs out of our side garden for the winter. All year long we had been eagerly surprised by their growth and had enjoyed their beautiful appearance in our backyard. Now, here we were, cutting the stalks at the base, removing the bulbs from the cold mud, and shoving them into a thick paper bag filled to the brim with mulch. The bulbs will spend the next four to six months in our basement, awaiting spring and their replanting.
It is sad to put the garden away, but it is a necessary task. The soil needs time to restore before next year’s planting and harvest. We spend time during the winter months preparing the compost collected this year, working it into the garden to bring a new life to the tired soil which had been depleted from the corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers that grew in abundance only a few months ago. Even though the garden is at “rest”, and nothing seems to be growing on the surface, important work is taking place below.
Our heart and spirit are being transformed and renewed as GOD works beneath the surface- and this renewal leads to deeper roots of faith.
2nd Corinthians encourages us not to lose heart- even when things may seem stagnant on the surface. “So, we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” (4:16) There are times where we may feel like the gardens in our own lives are being “winterized”- in times of rest (especially for those of us who struggle slowing down), in times of challenge, in times of heartbreak, in times of trial. But it is important that we do not loose heart, just like the important work taking place beneath the surface of a winterized garden bed, so too GOD is at work in our lives and in our hearts, even when we may not see it or feel it. Our heart and spirit are being transformed and renewed as GOD works beneath the surface- and this renewal leads to deeper roots of faith. Sometimes it may seem dark, like we have been shoved into a thick paper bag filled with mulch, but even in those moments, GOD is working to prepare us for new life, for refreshed opportunities, for the new spring!
Don’t lose hope while the garden is winterized- rejoice in the work GOD is doing beneath the surface!
The TASK 
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