Lessons from the Garden

I planted three tomato plants this spring and one zucchini.  I’ve already lost one tomato plant to cutworms, and last night I noticed the others don’t look so hot. Curling leaves usually mean a disease or insect, but to be honest, I’ve not really paid that much attention. The plants are in the backyard, and I come and go through the front door. How can I expect to grow good tomatoes that way?  I’m surprised they’re even still alive.  It’s the same with our spiritual lives.  “Lord, I pray that we won’t neglect our relationship with you.  We need to pay attention to it, and not get careless. And that takes time. We need to make sure that bad influences don’t take hold. We need to feed our souls with your word and the fellowship of those who will help us grow. And we need to eliminate distractions from our lives. Help us to do that, because without you we’ll never make it to maturity, and won’t produce any fruit.”