Fifteen cucumbers. Twelve tomatoes. A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes. Two eggplants. Five peppers. Six zucchinis. Four onions and eight potatoes.  Believe it or not, I picked all of that in one setting yesterday and guess what? There’s more ready already!

Our garden has been so fruitful this summer. Please note, I say “our” very loosely.  This is my husband’s garden and I’ve had the stained and sweaty, torn old shirts and shorts in the Saturday’s laundry every week over the past few months to prove it. He has worked so hard, and it has paid off. We are enjoying fresh food on our table for breakfast, lunch and dinner and all the snacks in-between. From the looks of it, our family (and friends and neighbors alike) will continue to reap the benefits of this harvest for weeks to come.

How does a garden grow? Whether you’re planting an herb, flower, vegetable or fruit garden, you know from second grade science class that you need the basics to get it going: water, soil, sun, and seeds. You need a commitment to care for it, too–to pull the weeds and monitor the growth.  Some say that you can actually talk or sing to it to the plants to help them along? Maybe the nursery rhyme, “Mary, Mary, quite contrary—How does your garden grow?” would be an appropriate tune to share? 

All of this beautiful, tasty “fruit” of my husband’s labor has had me thinking about the fruit in our own lives. I’ve been known to have some bad and some good, how about you? The thing about fruit is that it’s visible, it’s what other people see about us. Maybe we’re kind and compassionate, or short and salty. Maybe we exhibit steadfast self-control, or just the opposite—a complete lack of it. Oftentimes for most of us, it depends on the day and how well we’re responding to the work that God’s doing in our hearts.

That’s where the fruit starts. Under the soil, where the seed of the Gospel is planted and the grace of God takes root. His love penetrates our weaknesses and struggles, which, like weeds, want to overtake our garden and create what can’t be enjoyed. His forgiveness over our sin cleanses us, gives us a new heart and forever allows us access to a sweet and holy communion with Himself, one that really does transform us from the inside out.

That’s where the garden grows. Let’s answer the question about how it grows. It all starts with the gardener. My husband first. He is patient with his plants, waiting for them to grow, produce and be fruitful. He is protecting of the garden; he knows when to pull one out and throw it to the side when it threatens to spread disease to the others, and likewise, he knows how to ward the bugs and the varmints off (vinegar water and cayenne pepper sometimes do the trick). He is also prayerful about his garden, asking the Lord to bring the rain and increase the harvest. That’s because at the end of the day, my husband knows that it all depends upon God. The Creator’s hand is what ultimately gives the right ingredients needed to produce a bountiful harvest.

The fruit produced in our lives is the same. I’ve tried all the things from the outside-in to fix my not-so-yummy-like fruit to no real heart-change avail.  My behavior might improve or appear more pleasing from the outside, but the root is still tainted. For a candid example, all these veggies on my kitchen table last week actually got me a bit overwhelmed (because my schedule was tight and I had to find something to do with them all!). I began to react and get resentful. That lasted for about two days. It wasn’t until I asked the Lord to fix my rotten attitude—and He did that with Ephesians 4:32 (be kind and compassionate)—that I began to really experience the love and peace inside that I wanted to exhibit on the outside. The fruit was real, not fake.

We all have some fake, some bad, some real and some good fruit. And we have a gracious God who wants to prune us. His patience, protection, and provision for this growing process is real, timely and efficient. Just let Him do the work where the garden grows—in your heart. The next time you enjoy a fresh box of garden veggies from your neighbor (if you don’t live by us, I’m sure there’s someone close who has an abundance to share!), give thanks to God for His good fruit that’s evident in us.