Growing up with a horticulturist for a Dad I sometimes say that I was “overexposed” to plants, gardens, and trees as a kid. And maybe it led me to take for granted the wonderful work my Dad did year in and year out in our back yard. But I used to joke that when I grew up I’d pour concrete in my entire backyard to avoid maintaining any kind of plant life, or at the very least, I’d suffer for one tree, but that’s it! A little bit of an overreaction, but whatever.
So having a house now for the past two years and a wife who likes plants more than I do, I’ve been breaking down here and there and planting stuff, including a vegetable garden, even though I know that I’ll be the one maintaining it at times. This past spring we even planted a perennial garden on the south side of our house, which I justified by telling myself that it’s low maintenance. Just mow it off in the fall and it grows back in the spring. I can handle that.
But I must admit that this past summer of watching my perennials grow has grown on me…no pun intended. Maybe it’s in my blood…who knows. But watering and maintaining my perennials has actually been somewhat of a joy. The picture above is the recent bloomer of the bunch…an Aster…probably my favorite so far. Part of it, I think, is the spiritual reality that it embodies. Recently I was reminded of this passage: “I [Paul] planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who grows is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
It was a worshipful thought to think that if God makes all of the plant life of his creation grow, how much more will he make his newly-created people grow through the gospel? It says elsewhere, “the whole body, through the Head, grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19). Or you could think about it in more explicitly Christ-centered terms: each time a plant grows from the dust of the earth and blooms a flower it reflects the greater gospel-reality of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins, being buried, then being resurrected to glory three days later, the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20). And when we believe in Christ, we grow into this resurrection as well—we share in it!
All creation—even perennials—scream God’s glory in the gospel each and every season!
Chris
