Springtime and seedlings

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over [and] gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] is come… 

Songs of Solomon 2:11-12

Yes, spring time has arrived which means growing session has begun in the UK! I'm so excited as this is my first time starting a garden on my own. I know it won't be completely perfect and I will make some mistakes but I know there's going to be lots to learn and experience. 

Starting out

I will be growing some food at home and also at the 7 years plenty allotment nearby. (we've called it that it actually has a completely different name hehe!). This year I will attempt to grow:

Romain lettuce

Spinach 

Swiss Card

Carrots

Potatoes 

Beetroot 

Bell peppers

Tomatoes

Onions 

Garlic

Strawberries 

Coriander 

Mint

Basil 

Rosemary 

Thyme 

It may seem like I'm growing way too much as a first time gardener, but believe me, these are actually my staples! Except Strawberries, I love them but I find they are expensive to buy and spoil very quickly so I want to see if it's more cost effective to grow them. I won't be growing in huge quantities but I want to see what things work and what things don't. 

For those of you who are wondering why I am growing food, I think growing your own food is healthier, cheaper and more rewarding! Gardening itself is very good for your physical health as it is very hands on and our bodies benefit from the physical exercise, fresh air and being in nature.  In addition to the physical benefits, it also has spiritual benefits.  The bible often talks about agriculture and uses it as an illustration of our growth in Christ, our reception of his word etc. He uses the natural to illustrate the spiritual (1 Corinthians 15).I'm excited to see how gardening will impact my walk with God, and I'm looking forward to all the object lessons I will learn as I turn the soil, water plants, weed the garden, plant seeds, harvest crops etc . I'm longing to see how he will break up the fallow ground and cultivate the garden beds of my own heart. 

I hope to keep you updated on how the garden is going and to share some of the different things I am learning, both the natural and spiritual, so please stay tuned.

Please feel free to share any of your gardening tips with this first time gardener :-)

First seedlings tray

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat…Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places…

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Love, your girl forever

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

Cry now, rather than later

A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend on the phone, and during our conversation she briefly mentioned that she had broken up with her boyfriend as it was becoming more evident to her that God was not leading them together.She said that she didn’t want to talk about it but asked if I would keep her in my prayers.

Later that day, she sent me a text message saying that she had been breaking down in tears all day. I remember looking at her message and thinking “What should I say?” “What do I tell her?” “What response would best help someone whose heart is breaking?” I didn’t respond directly to her message but this thought came to me - “cry now, rather than later”. By this I mean, it is better to bear the pain and the brunt of a hard but right decision than to cry harder and longer as a result of following through with the wrong decision.

I remember when I was living on campus in my final year of university and during that time I was in the process of severing a friendship. I remember waking up one day and rushing around to get to my early morning lecture, and while I was brushing my teeth I looked into the mirror and, to my surprise, I burst into tears. Now, I’m not talking about a few tear drops down my cheeks; I was literally weeping, almost uncontrollably! Some of my friends and family may find this part quite interesting as those who know me really well know I rarely ever cry. I can't actually remember the last time I cried, I think it may have been about 3 years ago but I think the last time I cried before then was probably about...SORRY!!!! Let me get back to the story! So I was crying in my little ensuite bathroom, feeling like my life was over and that I would never be happy again. The whole situation was so painful but I knew that I had to swallow the bitter pill, resting in the fact that I had made the right decision and God’s grace would be sufficient for me.

Now in 2016, am I still hurting over the situation? No, because the hurt was only temporary and the Lord truly gave me beauty for ashes and a joyful song. During that time, the Lord specifically taught me how to accept with joy whatever His providence ordains and to embrace every gift from God, including loss (I spoke about this really briefly here in my very first blog post J)

Looking back at the situation in light of what God has done in my life since then, I can honestly say that I didn’t make the right decision but the best decision. Back then I didn’t appreciate it that much but now I am truly happy that I chose to fully embrace the beauty of God’s ways.

So my dear friend, my advice to you and to anyone else who has had to make a painful but right decision is this - Cry on…let it all out, knowing that your tears are honourable before the Lord and are precious tokens of your strength and courage. It may be painful but you have chosen Him over your own ways, the Lord will draw near to you with comfort and healing and will allow you to see the fruits of unyielding obedience and the joy of walking in paths of righteousness.

…. For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. Job 5:18 


Cry now rather than later.

Love, your girl forever

♥ Miss Daisy ♥