Because in a Sense It Is Always Planting Season...

Like buds, morning breaks

hours unfold 

bearing noon-blooms

that fade and fall,

like so many flower-petals

to strew the dust of dusk

The petals of days to weeks to months to years

scatter seasons of life in their wake...

We are here for such a small 'season'

in light of eternity;

an eternity that begins

in the moment awaiting every single one of us,

when we close our eyes,

never to open them again on earth!

No matter what season we are in

we are students in its 'classroom'

with still so much to learn...

1 Tim.6:11-12

But you, O man of God, flee from these things (the love of money)

 and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, 

love, perseverance, and gentleness.

 12Fight the good fight of the faith. 

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called 

when you made the good confession before many witnesses.

spring, summer, autumn, winter twirls

a kind of carousel

that often startles boys and girls

with hello's swift farewell

as childhood drifts from carefree streams

as adolescence sails

into a world of hopes and dreams

where Reality hails

with that which life is bound to bring

as the years come and go

a very sacred harvesting

for we reap what we sow

where autumns and winters accrue

bearing the telling yield

of seeds we strewed while dashing through

springtime and summer's field 

Janet Martin

Though we cannot turn back the clock

and undo what is done

or un-plant what is planted

this is a new day the Lord has made!

We can rejoice and be glad in it

and ask Him to help us to be mindful of the seeds we strew today,

for, in a sense it is always planting season

and no one lives to see the full extent of the harvest

for better or worse.

Oh, pray we plant for the better today!

Seeds of righteousness, godliness, faith, 

love, perseverance, and gentleness.

A lot of thought goes into spring planting because

every gardener and farmer knows

we cannot reap what we do not sow!

Last week the first teeny-weeny start on this year's garden-planting!

No! this is not all my garden!!

Beyond the grass strip is the farmer's field!

He has lent me a corner of his field so I am able 

to have a larger garden than I could otherwise enjoy!

Before The Tree and the Fruit... (or, It May Seem Small in the Planting)

One choice may seem so small, for good or bad,

but small things amassed become something much bigger;

grains of sand make a shore,

drops of water an ocean,

moments, a lifetime.

Choice, repeated becomes a habit!

Our 'habits' become our lives...

Day by day,

verse by verse, 

chapter by chapter 

we read through the Bible

and are spoken to and taught by God, 

or not!

Prayer by prayer 

we learn to worship Him 

and trust Him a little more, 

or not...

What are we going to do Today, 

with our pocket full of moment-seeds

dropping from the Hand of goodness and mercy

to the soil of the soul?

(Where, even in reaping, we are planting!)

I'm about to head out to plant some marigold among the tomatoes,

in hopes of deterring tomato worms!

1 Cor. 1:4-9

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God

 which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 

5 that you were enriched in everything by Him 

in all [a]utterance and all knowledge, 

6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed [b]in you, 

7 so that you come short in no gift, 

eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

8 who will also confirm you to the end, 

that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called 

into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Isn't verse 9 an awesome verse to begin a new week on?

To remind us to make the most of every opportunity?!

It may seem minute, the measure of a moment, thought or seed

But the value of life’s treasure is measured by word and deed

Where Choice bears a holy onus in each little ‘yes’ or ‘no’

Where no one can trick the promise that we will reap what we sow

It may seem inconsequential; as, partakers of God’s grace

We, oft thoughtlessly unthankful, give the Giver second place

Not with preconceived intention but, as bridles are cut loose

Without forceful intervention interfering with excuse

It may seem so small, where choices gape with opportunity

Be careful, for Reply voices far more than first glance may see

And no matter how we defend lack of honor with excuse

The fruit of seed cannot pretend; what we plant, seed will produce

It may seem so very common; left foot, right foot, slumber, wake

Sometimes we forget that Someone grants each gifted breath we take

Sometimes, then we are not prayerful, humble and obedient

Sometimes then, we are not careful with the seeds God’s goodness lent

It may not seem very dire, crucial or imperative

What or who attunes desire, what we choose to keep or give

Who we worship in the granting of love and longing’s pursuit

It may seem small in the planting, before the tree and the fruit

© Janet Martin

Day by Day

Something About Planting Season

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.

Ps.24:1

What are you singing, asked my husband on Saturday

as he heard me humming while I worked in the flower garden...

I thought for a moment and realized I was singing this stanza

(to no fixed tune😅🎵)

which often comes to mind while I putter in the garden,

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,--

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth...

(full poem below post)

Something about planting season overflows the heart with cheer...

When the plow breaks dormant fallow and dust’s pungent incense spills...

Something about green-spun bowers bursts the heart with happiness...

Gardens, showcasing spring flowers, fuels worship’s epic ‘yes’

Something about lilac fragrance, enchanting warm winds of change

Makes us feel like God is granting good, old days naught can estrange...

Something about planting season overflows the heart with cheer

Hope rekindles wearied/worried reason with fresh starts, year after year

As the age-old call of duty/beauty hails from barren sweeps/deeps of sod

Toil is charged with awe for beauty/duty, cradled in the hand of God

When the plow breaks dormant fallow and dust’s pungent incense spills

When the bough brandishes halos of blossom and leafy thrills

When, once more faith is the substance of seeds scattered to the earth

Joy, akin to Eve of Christmas awes us with wonders of birth

Something about green-spun bowers bursts the heart with happiness

Gardens, showcasing spring flowers, fuels worship’s epic ‘yes’

Something about fresh-turned furrows fills us with humble content

Planting season helps heal sorrows that we cannot circumvent

Something about heavens laughing in blue hues beyond our ken

Feels like angels autographing May afternoon with God’s pen

Something about lilac fragrance, enchanting warm winds of change

Makes us feel like God is granting good, old days naught can estrange

Makes us feel like God is giving earth glimpses of Heaven-ness 

Makes us believe man is living in love’s lap of faithfulness 

Makes us want to thirst and hunger for favors His love deploys/employs

Makes us suddenly feel younger in a world of simpler joys

Something about planting season overflows the heart with mirth

Something in the air is teasing graves with melodies of birth

Something about spring's apparel puts a smile upon the face

Pink and yellow, green and purple masterpieces of God's grace

*Something about, when yon cloud tips like a big, watering can

Makes us marvel, like the Psalmist and echo awe's, 'what is man?'

Something about labor halted, grants us opportunity

To be sure God is exalted above likes of you and me 

Something about planting season sings of God’s mercies renewed

Earth is gaping with remission, kindling hymns of gratitude

Seed is throbbing with provision; miracles infuse the sod

Something about planting season draws us to the heart of God

© Janet Martin  

Something about, when yon cloud tips like a big, watering can

Makes us marvel, like the Psalmist and echo awe's, 'what is man?'

* I thought the poem was complete then a good, old thunderstorm rolled through

inspiring one more, the second last stanza. 

(my apologies to those who prefer a quick read)😅💓

..and below is the poem mentioned at the beginning of this post: 

God's Garden

THE Lord God planted a garden

In the first white days of the world,

And He set there an angel warden

In a garment of light enfurled.

So near to the peace of Heaven,

That the hawk might nest with the wren,

For there in the cool of the even

God walked with the first of men.

And I dream that these garden-closes

With their shade and their sun-flecked sod

And their lilies and bowers of roses,

Were laid by the hand of God.

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,--

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

For He broke it for us in a garden

Under the olive-trees

Where the angel of strength was the warden

And the soul of the world found ease.

Dorothy Frances Gurney

Of Love's Impending Choices

After a stretch of rain last week

every farmer and gardener is paying close attention

to the condition of the soil with common quest;

"is it dry enough to till and plant?!"

And then we will not heedlessly toss seeds here and there

hoping for the best. 

Planting is done with careful heed,

the eye on its harvest!

Imagine if we kept our eyes on the soil of the soul

and planted with careful precision/decision

with our eyes on the harvest!

Across shorelines of morning mercy’s renewed breakers roll...

Across shorelines of morning mercy’s renewed breakers roll

Where wonderment and warning reanoint cause and effect

Of love’s impending choices soon strewn beneath high noon’s toll

Ere Dusk collects the voices that will waft in retrospect

This is no fickle bower that bends with dawn’s blushing ‘yet’

Today’s brief leaf and flower, metes far more than meets the eye

Where though time never lingers, its swift moment-presses set

What slips through lips and fingers into permanent reply

How sacred is the summons that draws us from slumber’s woo

Where this we share in common; we will reap the seeds we sow

This should give us good reason to pay close attention to

What follows planting season and what soon Harvest will show

Dusk holds far more than lullabies beneath its beckoning 

Morn metes far more than beaming skies beneath its gleaming burst

Where love's impending choices wait to author reckoning

Where soon the Harvest voices what was moment-sized at first

© Janet Martin

Gal.6:7

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; 

for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

There is never an isolated action.

For better or worse

Action yields consequence

Some 'consequences are pure joy

such as...cake!

from this...

to this...

 to this...

to this!

...in almost no time at all!

Lament's Metamorphosis

Sometimes I am prone to lament the effect

without acknowledging the cause...

Sometimes I want, for instance, the wisdom from above

without first seeking, yielding, trusting, praying, obeying

Sometimes I seek a harvest from seeds I neglected to plant!

The landscape seems snagged on a see-saw 

of greenish-bronze and white these days!!

As white surf recedes, exposing sodden turf

thoughts turn more and more often to planting time!

I am old enough to recognize harvest of some seeds I wish I had not sown, 

(Or, wish I could return to sow seeds I didn't)

but if we confess our sins He (God) is faithful and just

 to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness

 (1 John 1:9)

He may not remove the consequence 

but He gives grace for us to face

whatever harvest brings.

Also, we are never too old to keep planting!

Lament without repentance is a futile suffering

When sorrow for the consequence ignores what wrought its sting

While impulse disregarded what it should have pondered first

Because of laws imparted that can never be reversed

We will reap what we sow; this is no casual cliché

The seeds of word and deed will grow; therefore, we ought to pray

And tend with tender care what slips into time’s sprawling field

From raring lips and fingertips soon turned to sacred yield

How subtle seasons shift; how swift the seed is fully grown

There is no way around it; we must reap what we have sown

But we are not alone; as we confess sin’s errant ways

Repentance turns groaning lament into a hymn of praise

© Janet Martin

Gal,6:7-9

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: 

for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; 

but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: 

for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

James 3:17-18

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, 

then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, 

full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

  18Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.d

Established Evidence

Gen.1:11-12

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, 

and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, 

whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, 

and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: 

and God saw that it was good.

Gal.6:7-9

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; 

but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: 

for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

A grower's chief delight is the fruit and bloom laden plant!

At harvest, as the fruition of labor fills orchards,

gardens, vineyards and fields with yield,

it stirs humble, holy awareness, once again

to the sacredness of planting season!

I am so happy the farmer next door planted soybeans in the field beside our property.

For years this field was a grazing pasture for cattle,

but the new owner keeps his herds inside and so for the first time

since we live here (33years) I have enjoyed the evolving beauty of soybeans close-up!

...and last but not least, Today!

We will reap what we sow

The tree, known by its fruit

Choice-seeds that fall do not stay small

But soon take sacred root

Oh God, you are not mocked

Stir in our hands and hearts

The imminence of recompense

That harvest time imparts

Where the spirit and flesh

At constant odds, contend

With what we sow, for it will grow

Tis futile to pretend

Because the seed reveals

The essence of its kind

Thus, what we plant is what will grant

The harvest that we bind

Ah, even as we reap

Seeds fall; God, help us see

With reverence the evidence

Of fruit upon the tree

© Janet Martin

p.s. a reader just mentioned hopefully I will get a picture of the harvest to complete the circle! 

I sure hope so!

Luke 6:44

For every tree is known by its own fruit.

For men do not gather figs from thorns,

nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.

Sacred, Fleeting Season

Suddenly, as I worked on this post, I couldn't stop weeping

for all the precious children of the world!

(How often it is the innocent who suffer

where innocence untaught 

grows up not knowing 

what they know not)

How sacred is the virgin soil

Of childhood's innocence ...

It is no mere coincidence that a child loves to hear about Jesus!

Every child in my childcare has shown me unbridled delight as we pause

before lunch to thank God for our food with this little prayer

God is great, God is good

Let us thank Him for our food

By His hands we all are fed

Thank-you Lord, for daily bread

Amen

From wide-eyed curiosity of a one-year old to eventually joining in,

 their faces beam with pure joy from pure hearts

as we thank God!

(and oh, the glorious conversations this little prayer sparks💗🙏)

On the inside cover of  a vintage version of The Pilgrim's Progress

 is this certificate of acknowledgement to honor the recipient of the reward.

Imagine if we still handed out such noble literature in our public schools

 as rewards to students!

Today students in this system,  

as tender as 5 years old 

(if the teacher chooses to comply)

are taught/groomed to dispute the indisputable...

He created them male and female, 

and blessed them 

and called them Mankind 

in the day they were created. 

Gen.5:2

Matthew 19:4

Jesus answered, "Have you not read that from the beginning 

the Creator 'made them male and female,'

Mark 10:6

However, from the beginning of creation,

 'God made them male and female.'

...and we wonder at the chaos and confusion of this age?!!

where by and large, the world has turned its back on God?!!

and ignores His everlasting Word?!!

Where defiled hearts defile innocence?!!

Evil as surely as good 

recognizes the sacred, fleeting season of childhood!

How sacred is the virgin soil

Of childhood's innocence  

How terribly accountable

Each one who tills and plants

Where evil as surely as Good

Recognizes this truth;

The fleeting season of childhood 

Soon sheds its tender youth

How then, we ought to sift the seeds 

That fall, so they will sprout 

A goodly crop, to choke the weeds

Of heresy and doubt 

Before planting time, brief and fair

Slips from the supple limb   

Remember the Creator, ere

They find no joy in Him

Janet Martin

"H-m-m! He's got one too!"

exclaimed Innocent Granddaughter at her observation

during little boy's diaper-change.

"Just like my baby brother!"

'Yes' I replied.

'that means he's a boy! 

If you 'got one' you're a boy!

If you don't, you are a girl!

God made it that simple and easy to figure out

and don't ever let anyone tell you any different!'

(Believe it or not, these unthinkable conversations are important today!!)

Eccles. 12 NASB

Remember God in Your Youth

12 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, 

before the evil days come and the years approach 

when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”

; 2 before the sun and the light,

 the moon and the stars are darkened, 

and clouds return after the rain; 

3 on the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, 

and strong men are bent over, 

the grinders stop working because they are few, 

and those who look through [a]windows grow [b]dim; 

4 and the doors on the street are shut 

as the sound of the grinding mill is low, 

and one will arise at the sound of the bird, 

and all the daughters of song will [c]sing softly. 

5 Furthermore, people are afraid of a high place 

and of terrors on the road; 

the almond tree blossoms, 

the grasshopper drags itself along, 

and the caper berry is ineffective. 

For man goes to his eternal home 

while the mourners move around in the street. 

6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is [d]broken 

and the golden bowl is crushed, 

the pitcher by the spring is shattered 

and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 

7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, 

and the [e]spirit will return to God who gave it. 

8 “Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher, “all is futility!”

9 In addition to being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge;

 and he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs.

 10 The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.

11 The words of the wise are like [f]goads, 

and masters of these collections are like driven nails; 

they are given by one Shepherd. 

12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: 

the [g]writing of many books is endless, 

and excessive study is [h]wearying to the body.

13 The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: 

fear God and keep His commandments, 

because this applies to every person. 

14 For God will bring every act to judgment, 

everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Once Upon A Wistful Morrow (demands full attention now)

Woods are reinvigorated

Garbed in nature’s purest hues...

In Ontario we are in the thick of that swift and sacred planting season!

Hard work but so worth it as seeds and seedlings start to grow!

This plot doesn't look like much yet 

but hopefully in a few months it will be a vibrant dahlia garden!

The deluge of rain on Saturday halted my work before I got the stone-paths done...

One thing every bloom has in common:

it was planted!

Proverbs 20:4

The slacker does not plow in season; 

at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.

It's that simple:

If we do not plant in planting season, 

there can be no goodly harvest

That is life's most solemn truth both literally and metaphorically!

Planting season is precious and fleeting!

Dear mothers, young parents, take heart as you till the soil of a tender soul!

Behold your sacred charge!

This is love's planting season!

Beyond the sweat and toil of tough love and training

waits the harvest!

And every day, entrust your cares

to your Heavenly Father 

who knows exactly what we need

and grants strength for the day.

No. There is no instant gratification

in planting.

It takes time and patience to grow a seed

to its full potential.

But, by the grace God gives,

endure!

Once-upon-a-wistful morrow

Brings no sweat upon the brow

Look; our feet stand on the furrow

Planting time is here and now

Sometimes as I admire someone's autumn garden

I will say, oh! I wish I would have remembered to plant

 such and such in the spring

but because I didn't I cannot harvest its fruit in the fall!

At almost 56 years old, I find myself in the autumn of life,

sometimes wishing for something I didn't plant in the 'spring',

but we look at the the spring of earth's season and are reminded of

a God of forgiveness and redemption

granting planting season once again! 

And we plant, even in the fall of life,

seeds for the harvest still to come! 

Woods are reinvigorated

Garbed in nature’s purest hues

Green in glory unabated

Saturates long-listless views

Once-upon-a-wistful-morrow

Demands full attention now

For dreams do not plant a furrow

Wishing does not push the plow

Morning spills momentous jewels

Awes us with mercies renewed

After slumber’s rest refuels

Diligence and gratitude

…and we beseech today’s Giver

For fresh fervor for life’s toil

For the field will soon deliver

Planting season’s foolproof spoil

Joy and sorrow’s measures mingle

Where birth’s showcase steals our breath

Where our zealous senses tingle

With the imminence of death

While we wonder at the favors

Of flower-font bound to fray

While we savor fleeting flavors

On earth’s bittersweet buffet

Where soon hues of first green languish

Where soon dues of planting chime

Where soon love and labour’s anguish

Turn to hues of harvest time

Once-upon-a-wistful morrow

Brings no sweat upon the brow

Look; our feet stand on the furrow

Planting time is here and now

© Janet Martin

Once upon a wistful morrow

this will be  flower garden!

Once upon a wistful morrow...

the planting dust will settle

 and

and they will be women and men