Butterbeans
may only be familiar with large lima beans that, honestly, are not too appealing to me. But my daddy, knew the secret of butterbeans. He picked his beans when they were babies and oh, so hard to shell. But they provided a sweet, delicious feast in our home. I would love a plateful tonight!
This year, my husband started a garden. I was pretty excited about the butterbeans in my future. Just to note, I was raised in the city with nary a trip to the garden. So imagine my surprise at visiting the garden one day last month, a week or so after our rows were neatly planted. We certainly had a-lot of small plants growing; however, I soon learned that these plants were weeds not my beloved butterbeans. Not the beans I had carefully, with back-breaking effort, sown after carefully preparing the soil. Where were my treasures?
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:3-9
Upon pulling weed after weed, I asked my husband where did these weeds come from? How did they all get here? Who planted them? Why does the earth offer up such weeds but my harvest is so slow to come? How can the young, healthy plant survive amongst all the tangle and confusion of the weeds?
The tussle and tangle of the world surrounds us and intertwines us and yet harvest will come. He will provide. He works the soil around us and provides others who co-labor with us. If but for a moment weeds but soon the flowering begins and the fruit (daddy's butterbeans next). Soon. Soon. Soon.
What is in my life that entangles me? What attitude is holding me back? What long-held thorn has pierced me so much that new growth is impossible?
What new growth, new harvest awaits inside of me? It's just below the surface, waiting.
