Growing Pains. . .

Week 3 for my seedlings

About 3 weeks ago, I eagerly started several petunia seeds.  I wouldn't say I'm an experienced gardener, more like a trial and error gardener.  Sometimes things work and thrive in my garden, other times my attempts feel futile.  So 3 weeks ago, I decided I would try my hand (AGAIN!) at starting my plants from seeds.  A few  years back, I had purchased a grow light and was sure that was my answer to all of the problems I'd had starting seeds in the past.

Well, the first year, it was "okay".  Most of my seeds germinated, but I'd realized that I had started them WAY to late.  When they say start seeds 8-10 before last frost, that doesn't work for Manitoba!!!  First of all it needs to be more like 12-14 weeks because those poor little guys just couldn't survive out in our "frost free" zone.  Sure we weren't having frost at the end of May, but my seedlings weren't very happy with temperatures hovering around 5C!!!  So for June, and most of July, my "beautiful" petunias had absolutely no blooms.  My ideas of saving money and starting my own seeds had successfully been squashed because I "HAD" to go out and buy plants that actually had blooms on them so my yard did have some color.

HOWEVER, my seedlings continued to grow and get stronger, and as my greenhouse purchased plants started to look spent and scraggly, here were my own petunias that I had started from seed just bursting forth with vibrant color and lots of blooms.  The pots from the greenhouse that had bloomed so beautifully in July were now sad and not very attractive.  But the pots that I had started "too late" and were slow in blooming were now loaded with blooms - at a very time when it felt summer was winding down.  Some of my pots I had started were now in their full glory. So while I had thought that year was a failure, it had turned out that it had actually prolonged the beauty of my gardens!!!

The first year I had purchased my seeds from Canadian Tire, but the second year, I decided I was now a pro at starting seeds!  (OOPS!  BIG MISTAKE!)  I'm not sure if it really was about the company, but the next year I decided to purchase my seeds from a reputable mail order seed company.  I thought that SURELY those seeds must be incredible and I couldn't fail.  Well, if I thought my first year was a failure, last year was a complete failure.  I would say maybe only 15% of my seeds germinated, and then the ones that did germinate well, let's just say, if you forget to take them inside when the frost hits, it doesn't make for some very pretty pots!!!

So this year, I have big hopes.  I have gone back to Canadian Tire for my seeds, I've started them 4 weeks (or maybe more) earlier in the hopes of positive results!  And I do have to say, so far so good.   Out of a tray of 36 petunias, one 3 didn't germinate!  I'd say that's a pretty good ratio so far.  My oregano is coming up.  My parsley and chives too!  It's exciting.

HOWEVER, it's not over just yet.  That I think, may have been the easy part.  Now to keep the mold away, to keep those babies watered - just enough and not too much.  To keep the grow light at the proper height.  And oh. . . when do I transplant them?

As I've babied and coddled and cared for my seedlings over the year, this year I was struck by how many times I've tried to get this gardening thing just right.  (I'm hoping it's this year!!!) These are my three attempts with grow lights.  And believe me there have been many more errors when I tried to grow them in a window sill with minimal light.  Talk about some leggy tomato plants!!! But I continued on.  Each time I learned a little more.  I tried some new ideas.  I didn't give up.

Today I was again reminded how my spiritual walk is like that.  Sometime I get it right.  There are moments when it feels like I am growing by leaps and bounds.  Sometimes I find that when I spend chunks of time with God, I have this incredible growth spurt.  There are other times when it feels like no matter what I do I just can't seem to get germinated.  The seed is there.  My Bible is open. . . but NOTHING!!!  Today as I purposed in my mind to spend that chunk of time with God, I read.  I prayed.  I listened.  I waited.  Nothing.  Okay, so not nothing, but no big epiphanies.  Just some little reminders in Titus of how I should act.  Well, I know that already Lord.  I don't want to hear THAT again, I want something GOOD!  Something really meaty.  But as I looked for that "great eye opening moment" I realized that the very things that I was reading about were the very things I was needing to follow through on.  It kind of made me realize that its the watering and the lighting that is the most important for my seedlings.  If I try to give them a huge dose of fertilizer right now, I'll just kill them all off.  I need to do the every day, maybe even mundane things to keep them growing.

And so to it is in my spiritual walk.  I might not be having these major break through moments, but all God is asking of me is to do things for Him.  I'm having my time with Him.  I'm being reminded of things He wants from me - and my job right now is to do those things.  When I was reading in Titus 2 it was talking about the role of the older woman.  (Yes, I do feel that's me these days).  But the one part that struck me was that in all I do, I need to do it well "so that the Christian faith can’t be spoken against by those who know them." There was no major lightening bolt moment this morning as I was reading.  There was no audible voice from God.  There was no "fertilizer boost" from what I was reading.  I just was reminded that I am to be an example for Christ in EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING I DO!!!  I'll go about my daily tasks here at home.  I will teach my piano students.  I will care for my kids and husband.  I'll do all those regular "watering and lighting" things.  And hopefully the way I do those things I will bring honor and glory to God. Hopefully my heart will be right and the seedlings that are in my heart will continue to grow and flourish.  Hopefully, in the end, my life will have produced a floral display for God that brings Him glory.  And that will show Christ to those around me.

So you might feel like today is just another uneventful day.  But keep the lighting right.  Keep watering those seeds you have started in your heart.  God will honor your diligence. God will bless you for serving Him even in these times when it feels dry.  God knows your heart and He knows you are seeking Him.  Let Him grow you into something beautiful - even when it feels like nothing is happening.  He is making those roots strong to stand the test of time.  He is growing you into His beautiful creation.