The Muddy Buddies

     I grew up as a gardener. Well…to be more precise- the son of a gardener! My mom had the greenest thumb you’ve ever seen! Our garden had apples trees, cherry trees, pear trees, peach trees, grapes, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, onions, radishes, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turnips, green beans, sugar snap peas…I could go on…but I won’t! It was staggering how many different things we grew! It was also a TON of work! So is it any wonder that, as soon as I got out on my own, I did NOT have a garden?! Why in the WORLD would I want to continue that overwhelming amount of work…right?! 

     But then I got a bit more…settled. And we had a kid, and he began to grow up (they have a pesky way of doing that, don’t they?!), and I began to feel the pull of gardening! We were living in a little house in our home town- one that had an equally little back yard. So I scouted out a spot for a tiny garden. It was NOT the best choice- it was the least OFFENSIVE choice! It had some cruddy soil, lots of small rocks, some large rocks and a decent amount of  clay. WOW…now THAT’S some GOOD soil! 

     I got my son and his “bestest” buddy, who lived across the street, and together we formed…The Muddy Buddies! We got shovels and some topsoil…and we worked! We dug out as many of the rocks as we could…although we couldn’t get them all. We mixed in the topsoil the best we could. It was NOT great…but it was better! Then we went to the local plant nursery and bought some plants! We bought eight tomato plants and 4 pepper plants. We proudly brought them home, dug holes and put those bad boys in the ground. We watered them, we weeded them, we put some ground cover around them to better protect them. And then we waited. Oh, we continued to tend them. But we also watched them. And as they grew, I talked to the boys, The Muddy Buddies if you will, about what happens when a plant grows. We watched those tomato plant get bigger, we saw it start to bud, we watched those flowers open, spread and then begin to turn into tiny green tomatoes. Then we saw those tiny green tomatoes start to get bigger and turn red. And then…they were ripe! And let me tell you…The Muddy Buddies had a tomato feast that day!!

     There is an amazing thing about nurturing a plant- you put the “sweat equity” into it, you tend it, you nurture it…and it produces a wonderful return! Faith is much that way- the seed is planted in a person, a variety of people, some intentionally and some UN-intentionally, nurture that faith, and then it blooms…into something marvelous!! And what it produces, although impossible to accurately predict ahead of time, bears great fruit that impacts many people for a long time to come! 

     Who are YOUR Muddy Buddies? Who are the people that have had a great impact on your faith journey? Who are the people who have helped make you the person you are today? Do me a favor- contact them if you can, and thank them for what they have done for you. If you CAN’T contact them, then take a moment and thank God for their impact. Let’s hear it for the Muddy Buddies!

     Thanks for stopping by- I pray you have a blessed day! Please come back tomorrow, and stick with Jesus!