Lessons from the Garden

There’s something about summer that says step outside and notice the beauty all around us. For me, that place is the garden at The Remedy Farm.

This year I planted my biggest patch yet, filled with zinnias and sunflowers. Every morning, I walked the pathway with coffee in hand, taking in the colors, the growth, watching the butterflies and thinking about the lessons hidden in the soil.

What started as a patch of flowers became a classroom of the heart.

The colorful, magical, beautiful pathway of zinnias and sunflowers became my daily joy. But as proud as I am of the flowers themselves, I’ve realized the deepest growth this season has been inside me.

Gardens have a way of teaching us, if we’re willing to listen. There is so much we can learn from nature. From seed to bloom, the process of growth mirrors our own journeys:

• Some days are bright with sunshine and others bring storms [both are needed].

• Growth takes watering, pruning, patience and TIME.

• Even when nothing seems to be happening above the surface, there is transformation happening underground.

  
  

In the quiet, unseen places, God is working. He is cultivating, strengthening, and preparing. It’s easy to get discouraged when we don’t see immediate results, but just like a seed in the soil or a caterpillar in it's cocoon, so much is happening where no one can see. Don’t. Give. Up.

I’ve also learned not to compare my own journey to the blooms beside me. Flowers don’t compete; they simply bloom where they are planted, boldly. They trust the light will find them, and so must we. We cannot compare our journeys with others. Each of us has our own path toward blooming in the way God has called us to.

Lately, I’ve felt something stirring, a gentle shift in my heart to step back into speaking publicly and sharing more about my journey again. I know God is doing something new in me, slowly and gently, in His timing. And I believe He’s doing the same for so many of us.

When I spoke recently at A Night of Hope in Marion County, I shared that we are not buried by the hard seasons of life. We are planted. It’s a truth I see reflected in my own garden again and again. What looks like darkness and waiting is often the very place new life begins.

So, as I walk in the garden, I’m reminded to trust the process, embrace the storms and rest in the waiting. Because just like the flowers, we too will bloom in season.

May these snapshots from The Remedy Farm garden remind you that growth is happening, even when you can’t see it yet. 🌸

Happy Planting,

💜 Melissa