My tomato plants have gotten so massive and heavy that they have tipped over, pulling their cages down with them. An overabundance of ripe tomatoes litters the ground, food for critters.
My brussels sprouts are as overgrown as Jack and the Beanstalk.
My squash plants are entangled in the browning corn stalks, and the melon vines are beginning to dry out, still attached to juicy, quickly ripening melons.
The kale and broccoli are flowering, the beans are shriveling, and the carrots have all been pulled and are happily living in my refrigerator.
Things are so wild and overgrown that it’s hard to move around freely.
On one hand, it’s sad to see the browning leaves and to know we are coming to the end of an amazing season. On the other hand, it is beautiful to see this wild mess and how it has nourished us all Summer long.
Perhaps more than anything else, it is a wonder and a mystery to see this garden come and go. What began as tiny seeds in mediocre potting soil in my basement, ended up as a wild jungle of abundance!
I like this, because Jesus says this is what the Kingdom of God is like.
“And he told them this parable: How can I describe God’s kingdom realm? Let me illustrate it with this parable. It is like the mustard seed, the tiniest of all the seeds, yet when it springs up and grows, it becomes the largest plant in the garden, with so many spreading branches, even birds can nest in its shade.” -Mark 4:30-32
Remember, big things begin as little things. Small daily acts of love and faithfulness grow in time into something much greater. Nothing is so small that God doesn’t use it for good. Your little, faithful, daily acts of love are taken by God and used to build a much bigger, beautiful picture.
Keep going.
It’s growing.
