Blog

Lessons From My Garden - Part 1
Monday, July 7, 2014 by Vicki Dorshorn

In my garden, I have been fighting against several common pests. The first to show up was the cabbage worms—making lace of my Brussels sprouts plants and consuming whole leaves. Of course, grasshoppers showed up to munch their way through some tender plants. Then it was the horned tomato worm, capable of stripping a healthy plant in 24 hours, if left uncaught. I even found a cute, fuzzy caterpillar among the pole beans. These keep me busy.

I thought of Joel 1:4, where the prophet spoke of the condition in Israel when the people had neglected God and turned to idolatry. "That which the palmerworm has left has the locust eaten; and that which the locust has left has the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm has left has the caterpillar eaten." Joel speaks particularly of various stages of the locust which plague the mid east. Thus, his pronouncement is that there would really be nothing left at all once the full cycle was complete.

In weeks to come, I will discuss those pests, both the literal meaning in Joel and the symbolic meaning in our lives today. But for now, let's jump ahead to verse 12 of Joel 1: "The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languishes; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men."

When people lose their joy, it is like a tree that withers from lack of water and nourishment. One of my tomato plants has a virus. (Fortunately, it is planted in a barrel by itself, not in the main garden.) This virus makes the stem hard and unresponsive, so that water cannot travel from the roots to the branches, leaves, and tomatoes. So the leaves are withering and wilting. Watering the leaves helps a little, but within 24 hours, they are dry and curling.

That's what happens to us when we lose our joy. Joy is different from the emotion we get when we are happy that we get our way; it is different from the reaction of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol; it is different from the feeling of self-satisfaction. Joy is that inner sense of peace and hopefulness that leads to gladness and rejoicing.

Now, I know that the departure of joy has nothing to do with my garden; these pests come naturally. They are part of the consequences of sin in the earth. In certain times, the Lord will use a plague of those to get the attention of his people (as in the case described by Joel).

But in our lives, without joy, we are defenseless before the enemy that comes to discourage, depress, and defeat us. Just like my sick tomato is defenseless against the heat and wind. (And surprisingly enough, that is the one plant that had the most tomato hornworms on it.) What we need is joy which brings strength, as we read in Nehemiah 8: 10, "For the joy of the Lord is your strength."

And when we have that joy, we can declare with the prophet Habakkuk: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; although the olives shall fail to grow, and the fields shall yield no grain; although the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet will I rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation"—Habakkuk 3: 17-18.

Put into today's work world, we could say, "Although I lose my job and run out of groceries; although my car breaks down and I can't afford to fix it; although the stock market crashes and I lose all my savings: Yet will I rejoice in the LORD, I will have joy in the God of my salvation."

That is ultimately the place God wants to bring us to—that complete dependence upon Him and joy in Him, regardless of circumstances. And sometimes we have to put up with "garden pests" to get to that place, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Next week: "Part 2 - Palmerworms." 

Share This Blog:


Previous Posts

Crack in the Liberty Bell
Vicki Dorshorn
7/4/2022

Resurrection Miracles
Vicki Dorshorn
4/16/2022

Globalism: Olympic Games Canceled
Vicki Dorshorn
2/20/2022

Happy Valentine's Day from God
Vicki Dorshorn
2/13/2022

Beginnings and Endings
Vicki Dorshorn
12/30/2021

The Light of the World
Vicki Dorshorn
12/24/2021

He Is Risen As He Said
Victoria Dorshorn
4/2/2021

Three M's of Christmas
Vicki Dorshorn
12/25/2020

Silenced and Silent
Vicki Dorshorn
8/4/2020

The Right Way
Vicki Dorshorn
7/13/2020

"Let Freedom Ring"
Vicki Dorshorn
7/3/2020

Caring and Sharing
Vicki Dorshorn
6/20/2020

One Race -- Two Creations
Vicki Dorshorn
6/10/2020

An End to Racism
Vicki Dorshorn
6/2/2020

With One Voice
Vicki Dorshorn
5/24/2020

Trust in God
Vicki Dorshorn
5/17/2020

A Firm Foundation
Vicki Dorshorn
5/9/2020

No Fear!
Vicki Dorshorn
5/2/2020

Author of Peace, Not Confusion
Vicki Dorshorn
4/28/2020

Too Timid to Tell
Vicki Dorshorn
4/24/2020

Resurrection Promise
Vicki Dorshorn
4/11/2020

God's Mercies
Vicki Dorshorn
4/2/2020

Yet I Will Rejoice
Vicki Dorshorn
3/18/2020

Slow Suicide—Part 2
Vicki Dorshorn
3/5/2020

Slow Suicide—Part 1
Vicki Dorshorn
3/2/2020

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
Vicki Dorshorn
2/6/2020

A Stable and an Empty Tomb
Vicki Dorshorn
12/24/2019

Do Definitions Matter?
Vicki Dorshorn
12/17/2019

Darkness Creeping In
Vicki Dorshorn
11/26/2019

The Presence and Purpose of Pain and Sorrow
Vicki Dorshorn
8/31/2019

Salt and Light
Vicki Dorshorn
8/21/2019

Real Rainbows and True Light
Vicki Dorshorn
8/17/2019

The Light of Life
Vicki Dorshorn
8/7/2019

A Giant Eraser
Vicki Dorshorn
4/23/2018

He Is Risen
Vicki Dorshorn
3/30/2018

Rejection
Vicki Dorshorn
7/22/2015

Liberty Bell & more
Vicki Dorshorn
7/4/2015

Breaking News
Vicki Dorshorn
6/22/2015

Cracked Foundations
Vicki Dorshorn
6/12/2015

Power Transformers
Vicki Dorshorn
6/5/2015

Transformers
Vicki Dorshorn
5/28/2015

What is my name?
Vicki Dorshorn
5/20/2015

What age is Jesus for you?
Vicki Dorshorn
12/21/2014

Part 2 - Stories of Sovereignty from England
Vicki Dorshorn
11/21/2014

Stories of Sovereignty from England
Vicki Dorshorn
11/15/2014

Coincidence or Sovereignty?
Vicki Dorshorn
11/3/2014

Time to Care
Vicki Dorshorn
8/24/2014

"Lion on the Loose"
Vicki Dorshorn
8/16/2014

Lessons from My Garden - Part 6
Vicki Dorshorn
8/10/2014

Lessons from My Garden - Part 5
Vicki Dorshorn
8/3/2014

Lessons from My Garden - Part 4
Vicki Dorshorn
7/27/2014

Lessons from My Garden - Part 3
Vicki Dorshorn
7/20/2014

"Lessons from My Garden -- Part 2"
Vicki Dorshorn
7/12/2014

Lessons From My Garden - Part 1
Vicki Dorshorn
7/7/2014

Dreams, Revisions, and Renewal
Vicki Dorshorn
6/29/2014

A Dream that is Reality
Vicki Dorshorn
6/21/2014

The Return of the Swallows
Vicki Dorshorn
6/14/2014

Part 2 - Where will I go when I die?
Vicki Dorshorn
6/7/2014

Where will I go when I die?
Vicki Dorshorn
5/31/2014

Truth or Deception
Vicki Dorshorn
5/24/2014

Deliverance from Falling
Vicki Dorshorn
5/16/2014

Deliverance from Tears
Vicki Dorshorn
5/10/2014

Deliverance from Death
Vicki Dorshorn
5/3/2014

The Significance of Death
Vicki Dorshorn
4/27/2014

Conclusion of Why Bad Things Happen
Vicki Dorshorn
4/19/2014

Good and Bad, Relatively Speaking
Vicki Dorshorn
4/12/2014

The Potter and the Clay
Vicki Dorshorn
4/5/2014

"Bad Things" - Part 5
Vicki Dorshorn
3/29/2014

"Bad Things" - Part 4
Vicki Dorshorn
3/21/2014

"Bad Things" - Part 3
Vicki Dorshorn
3/15/2014

"Bad Things" - Part 2
Vicki Dorshorn
3/8/2014

"Bad Things" - Part I
Vicki Dorshorn
3/1/2014

Who are "good" people?
Vicki Dorshorn
2/26/2014

Why do bad things happen to good people?
Vicki Dorshorn
2/22/2014