A few years ago I purchased Robyn an AeroGarden hydroponic mini garden so she could have fresh herbs year-round. It was a hit! We loved it so much that we later bought a larger version for growing lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes. Since then, we have had good results and have enjoyed the fresh and convenient produce. We closed the gardens down in March so we could tend to some other things and have recently planted them again in the last few months.
Preparation is easy. I cleaned the units, filled them with fresh filtered water, added the right amount of nutrients, added the pods, and started the daily light/water timers. In a few days, we started to see little leaves poking about. By day 10 we had a full bloom of almost everything. A few days later, we noticed that where there were plants, there were none. We realized that Peter, our Russian Blue, had decided to have his own quick salad. Ugh!
So, we found the pods, salvaged what we could, and replanted new seeds. It was then we realized that a few more of the plants had not sprouted. We contacted the company who told us to wait a few more days. Then after the allotted time, the seeds had not germinated, so they sent us replacements. (Part of their guarantee) During that process, they asked us about the settings, cleaning, feeding, etc. We obliged, they agreed that we had done everything right but something must have been wrong with those particular seeds. New ones came within a week.
So now we have a full garden overflowing with greens. Peppers are large plants with no flowers yet, but soon I’m sure we’ll be enjoying them all. The herbs? Well, they’ve taken over the kitchen.
Thinking about this process gave me pause. The light, water, food, and care were perfect for the germination of those plants, yet they did not come up. This was out of our hands. There was nothing more we could do. And some that did sprout were eaten by the cat. This too was out of our hands. (Remind me later to tell the story of correcting Peter) No matter what we did to prepare, the results were not completely within our power.
Now, we all are reminded of a story that Jesus told about a sower and his seeds. Consider this; the production of life is in the hands of the Lord, not His people. So, the same is true about the maturing and growth of that life. For years, I have labored over the fact that so many people seem to never learn and grow in their understanding of truth and the call to live accordingly. Just like those seeds, there is only so much that we can do. The rest is up to the one who grows.
When it comes to spiritual maturity and love, only the Lord can make the changes necessary in His people. Until then, we are to be united in complete patience, knowing that God will produce knowledge and obedience as He sees fit. Remember that parent, the next time your kid just doesn’t seem to get the instruction. Or the next time someone around you seems to remain so ignorant of so many wise things. In the end, we can rest knowing we planted or watered, but only God will give the growth.
This is true concerning knowledge and life.
Rest, Rejoice, Repeat.
There is much more to say and more instruction to be had. But hey, let’s be patient.