From Failure To Success!

I had kind of a weird experience in the wee hours of the morning today.  I suddenly awoke around 5:30 and began to think about this blog!  I mentally reviewed what I had shared yesterday, especially concerning the beautiful blooms on the red geranium.  From there is was almost like I was sitting in front of the TV as I watched a video replay of all the times that I went out and harvested an abundance of tomatoes, basil, rosemary and artichokes from the lush green foliage of the various plants in our garden.  It has been many years since we have had a harvest similar to the successful one that we enjoyed this year.  This summer we got to enjoy some of our old time favorites including fresh tomato and basil salad mixed with olive oil, garlic (lots!), parmesan cheese, and a touch of salt and pepper, pesto made with with freshly picked basil, olive oil and parmesan cheese, and then the crème de la crème… fresh artichokes steamed in olive oil, water and garlic!  The last time that we successfully grew and enjoyed our own artichokes was way back in the summer of 1978!

With all those remembrances vividly flooding my mind this morning, I had to arise from the bed and throw up my arms in thanksgiving and praise to God!  He is so faithful to those who never give up but keep their fervent trust in Him.  If you would have seen the harvest (if you want to call it that) from our first attempt at a garden in this house last year, you would then understand my joyous reaction to this years experience.

In the spring of 2009 I went out and aggressively pruned back the branches of the flowering tree that is planted in the only dirt area in our larger patio.  This action allowed the sun to make its way to the ground in that spot.  I then turned the soil, added amendments and planted tomatoes, basil, and zucchini.  The only problem that I came to discover was that the sun only shone on that little stretch of ground for 3 to 4 hours a day.  After 3:00 pm the sun was blocked by a neighbor’s house!  Needless to say, our harvest of zucchini was nil and the tomatoes produced a fair amount of green fruit that never ripened!  The only fruit that we actually got to pick was a few tiny tomatoes from a cherry tomato that I had planted in a pot on the deck.  (This was before the infamous invasion of the rats that quickly ended the pursuit of anymore thoughts of harvest!)

I think I’ve already shared with you what our course of action was following the devastating results of that garden attempt.  We finally took care of the rats, and then planted everything for 2011 in pots filled with an excellent potting soil.  We placed these next to the back fence where the sun shone throughout the afternoon and also radiated heat from off the painted wood slates of the fence. The only thing we planted in the dirt area was a small artichoke shoot that my folks gave to us.

The point that the Lord showed me this morning, is that because we didn’t give up after failure and were faithful to the dream of a successful garden, that our efforts were greatly rewarded.  The fruits of those few plants were enough… in fact more than enough to satisfy our hungry desires as we were able to give away some of the excess harvest! 

Psalm 91:16 promises that God will satisfy us with a long life.  But it also depends on some effort on our behalf!  If we had shrugged our shoulders and just given up, we would have had to endure another summer of store bought vegetables that just don’t match up to the flavor and freshness of those that are picked, sliced and brought immediately to the table!

So once again, I encourage you to NOT GIVE UP!  Don’t let a little adversity or even a few failures stop you from pursuing the dreams and desires that God has placed in you.  Remember that our Heavenly Father is faithful.  He won’t give up on you, so why should you give up on Him?  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting to ACCOMPLISH today?”