A Lesson in Growing
Welcome back, friends.
Almost every year, Mrs. Lumiere grows vegetables and flowers from seed at our home in Virginia. The project usually begins in early March and continues through the end of August. If I’m completely honest, I’ve traditionally been more of a willing supporter of this annual adventure than an active participant. I’ve watered a few plants, admired the garden, and certainly enjoyed the harvest, but I’ve never been particularly invested in the process.
For whatever reason, this year was different. I decided to go all in and became completely immersed in the project. I documented the journey with my camera, trying to capture the important moments as they happened — from the first seeds planted in early spring to the final harvest at the end of summer.
Although I had collected these photographs throughout the growing season, I wasn’t entirely sure what I would ultimately do with them. Last week, I spent a considerable amount of time going back through the images, and as I looked at them together, I began to see something I hadn’t noticed while living through it.
I found a spiritual lesson hiding in the garden.
This has been an unusually busy and challenging season for our family. Between our jobs, important family decisions, and the difficult experience of losing a beloved pet, we have found ourselves relying on our faith in ways we hadn't anticipated. Between planting those first seeds and gathering the last of the fruit, a pattern in faith began to emerge.
We planted the seeds as a first step in faith.
We watered and tended the young plants, doing our part and staying faithful in the waiting.
And we harvested the fruit, reflecting on God’s provision and goodness.
So, over the next few moments, I’d like to share a few lessons this simple gardening project taught me about faith, along with some of the photographs I made along the way.
If you’re interested in this sort of thing, we’d love for you to follow along. Grab a cold glass of Pellegrino with lime, settle in, and let’s take a walk through the garden.
Part 1, Planting the Seeds
There are seasons in life when you don't know what lies ahead. You can't see the outcome, and you certainly can't control it. But eventually, you have to put the seed in the ground. You have to take that first step in faith and let God go to work.
A seed is a remarkably small thing to place your hope in. Once it's beneath the soil, we can't see what is happening. We can only trust that God is working behind the scenes and that growth is happening.
In 2 Corinthians, Scripture reminds us that we walk by faith, not by sight. Perhaps that is one of the simplest pictures of faith. We continue trusting God, and we take the next step even when we can’t see where the path will lead.
Part 2, Tending the Garden
Once the seeds were planted, there was still work to do. We watered them. We watched them. We protected them. We waited. We could do a lot of things, but we couldn't make them grow.
Paul captured this beautifully in 1 Corinthians when he wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
There is something freeing about that distinction. We have responsibilities. We have decisions to make. We have our own part to play. We can water, weed, protect, encourage, and faithfully tend what has been entrusted to us. But ultimately, growth belongs to God.
That’s kind of what faith has looked like for our family lately. We may not know exactly what comes next, but we continue taking the next steps in faith and we’re trusting God with the outcome.
Part 3, The Harvest
The harvest is the moment when you reflect on God’s provision. You finally see what was happening while you were waiting and tending. But the harvest isn't always guaranteed to look exactly as you imagined when you planted the seeds.
Some seeds flourished. Some didn't. Some plants produced far more than we expected, while others never quite became what we had hoped. And maybe that is another lesson worth remembering — gratitude isn't dependent upon receiving exactly what we imagined.
We don't always get to choose the harvest. But we can choose to recognize it — to notice the good that has grown, to receive it with gratitude, and to give thanks to the One who provided it.
In Galatians, we’re told not to grow weary in doing good, “for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” That’s kind of the whole point. Take the next step, keep going in faith, and keep trusting His plan. Be obedient and let God take the lead.
Looking back at these photographs now, I realize that the garden gave me a picture of something I've been trying to learn in this season of life.
We plant, but God gives the growth.
We tend, but God determines the harvest.
And our greatest responsibility is simply to remain faithful — to keep abiding, keep tending, keep trusting.
The goal isn't to control the garden. It's to faithfully tend what God has placed in our hands and trust Him with what comes next.
Planting taught us to begin.
Tending taught us to persevere in the waiting.
Harvesting taught us to be grateful in the provision.