Faith Words: Through the eyes of a child

Our granddaughter, Veronica, is spending the week with us - one of the blessings of summer.  Trying to keep a five year old busy is a challenge but we came up with some ideas.

Yesterday, she helped me plant pumpkins.  We figured that if we plant them now, maybe they'll be ready late in the fall just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  We also planted Indian corn and marigolds.  I don't have a lot a skill as a gardener so this may all be wasted effort.  But yesterday was just plain fun.

First, we picked out a sight for our garden.  This part was easy.  The north end of a flower bed in our back yard had a large bare spot that would work.  It wasn't in full sun as recommended for pumpkins but it was already basically prepped.  So that was the spot.

Next, we visited La Casa Verde.  This time of year, the seed choices are slim but we were in luck.  They had two varieties of pumpkin and some Indian corn.  Veronica also wanted to plant flowers which is why we got the marigold seed.  While we were there, we also got a little wind chime chosen not so much for the beautiful tone but more for the frog with small purple chimes hanging down.

On to Lowe's where we got some organic top soil and cypress mulch.  Did you know that fertilizer smells like garlic?  Yeah, I didn't either but it does to Veronica.  We didn't stay long at Lowe's.

After lunch from Texas Burger and with exposed skin coated with sunscreen, we set to work.  We hauled the top soil and mulch to the chosen site in the little red wagon that had belonged to Grandpa when he was a boy and selected our yard tools both for utility and size.  I found some garden gloves for both of us, too.  We dug and hoed and raked the little patch like pioneer farmers working their land on the prairie, pausing occasionally for some cool bottled water. We finally got the seeds in the ground, covered with fresh mulch and watered in.  Then we spread the remainder of the mulch over the rest of the flower bed and watered the other plants, too.  We really did work hard but it was fun.

As I watched Veronica, I realized to her it wasn't work - it was an adventure.  She attacked the dirt clods telling them to stay out of her Grandma's garden.  She tried each yard tool and achieved some level of skill with each.  She loved placing each seed in just the right spot and covering them with dirt.  Then, she spoke encouraging words to the plants already in the garden and joyously spread the aromatic mulch like a beauty queen throwing kisses to her admirers. And the watering!  There's something about an adjustable sprayer on the end of a water hose that makes you want to experiment with each setting.  Miraculously, the seeds didn't get washed out and we didn't get soaked.

And then it hit me.  God wants us to enjoy life just as much as Veronica was at that moment.  Enthusiasm, determination, purpose and joy - lots and lots of joy.  No wonder Jesus told us to have faith like a child and why He told the apostles to let the little children come to Him.  The way a child approaches a new task can send all the tedium and burden running, replaced by a sense of wonder and accomplishment that brings laughter and happiness with it.

I think God was glad to watch Veronica work in our little garden yesterday.  We're in Grandma's bed watching Moe & the Big Exit (Veggie Tales' version of Moses and the exodus story)  this morning.  I think He's smiling at that, too.

Delighted,

Patrice

Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."