Tuesday, December 27, 2011

HELPMATES

     So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.          LUKE 5:7

     Two tired and bent old men were laboring in a small vegetable garden to produce food for a local pantry. The fruits of their labor were to be delivered freshly harvested to the needy in their community.  They visited quietly while harvesting purple hull peas. They shared some insights of life.  Near the end of their toil, one broke a period of solitude, “I’m so glad you were here to help me.  We got a lot more done than I could have done alone.  I would have quit long time ago.” 
     When we shoulder up with fellow Christians, much more is accomplished.  Didn’t Jesus send out the disciples two by two?  “It is not good for man to be alone”; while that was said about a helpmate for the man, it is so very true about life itself. 
      Often we have the opportunity to encourage a fellow gardener simply by lending a hand for a short period of time. Whether it is a labor of love in a volunteer garden or simply sitting with them as they ponder a fork in the pathway of their garden, when you come along side a friend, you are there to be a helpmate.

Garden tip: Develop your garden to live longer than you do. The weeds in it will.

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