Building A Garden

A friend of mine told me a story this week that I wanted to share. Blessings can unfold in unexpected ways, and often the ripple effect is far beyond what we can imagine. My friend’s ’yes’ and willingness to trust has brought abundant blessings, simply by building a garden.

Build The Vision

One night in early April, I was up all night. I couldn’t quiet my mind. “Build a garden,” is all I kept hearing. The plan and placement kept coming as images. I saw raised cedar beds with herbs, vegetables and flowers. After tossing and turning all night long, I finally turned the light on around 3am and started researching how to build a raised bed.

I thought to myself… I must be crazy to even consider this, especially with my health. Sure, I have grown tomatoes, herbs and peppers before, but never a big garden. There was another problem … money. And lastly, I still don’t understand why I am supposed to do this.

Over the next few days I prayed and discerned, looking to God for direction and clarity. I remember thinking, “if I had the funds, would I question building it?” The answer was, absolutely yes. Then unexpectedly, new business engagements came through and so did the money. Off to Home Depot I went. I was going to build my first raised bed and plant a garden.

After completing the first raised cedar bed, I heard God say, “it wasn’t enough.” I was up all night again. As I prayed, I realized he wanted me to build two more beds. I followed my calling and planted more seeds in the newly built beds.

The Harvest is Plentiful

I heard our pastor talk about a new garden that was built at church. So after watching mass, I went online to read about it. Members of the St. Vincente de Paul ministry had just built raised beds and the soil was arriving the next day so they could start growing food for people in need. THAT’S IT! That is why I built a garden. So I can help feed those in need and give all my excess to the church for this ministry.

I wrote to the person in charge and offered to give them all that I have and they were very excited. I will continue to keep growing what I can and donating all the excess to this great program of feeding those in need.

So why am I sharing this? Several years ago I was in a book study and read a book by Lysa Terkeurst, “What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.” I was reminded of 3 things: follow your nudges, believe that God will provide direction, and trust Him to reveal the reason in HIS time.

Blessings

My friend could never have guessed that her ‘yes’ to building a garden would bless so many. Not only is she helping to feed those in need, but she has inspired others to grow a garden and do the same thing. What a privilege to be a conduit for God’s blessings. All He asks for is a simple ‘yes’ and He promises to take care of the rest.