I know, I know,
Technically, it is not grass...
But you can't imagine how excited I am...
You see, it is November 12th
on the coast of Maine...
The temperature this morning was 32 degrees
when the men arose before dawn to go hunting...
I've got the woodstove going...
And a pot of homemade chicken rice soup simmering
For when they break for lunch...
And...
No...it's not grass...
But...I've got leaf lettuce growing
No...it's not grass...
But...I've got leaf lettuce growing
in my little homemade greenhouse!
Not only that...
but swiss chard...
And tomatoes!!!
This is the first year that I have attempted
to grow vegetables in my little greenhouse
during the fall and winter months...
This past Sunday night...
After the intense wind and rainstorm...
My little greenhouse was in need
of some "minor" repairing...
But it is well worth the time and effort!
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| Plastic, clear heavy duty duck tape, scissors, staple gun, and staples... A greenhouse girl's best friend! |
So, why is it that we are always
searching for the "greener grass?"
My family talked about this
as we studied God's word last evening.
The Bible calls this "to covet"...
or, put another way, "to envy".
Although many people try to suggest that envy,
or "keeping up with the Joneses,"
is not such a big deal,
in fact, it is something to strive for in today's world...
the Bible clearly says otherwise.
The Bible talks about this form of envy...
"And I saw that all labor and all achievement
spring from man's envy of his neighbor.
This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
Ecclesiastes 4:4
Our Lord even equates envy with
murder, malice, deceit, unrighteousness...
"Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers,
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:"
Romans 1:29-31
The Bible tells us that we should spend our time
and efforts loving God and
loving our neighbor...
I Corinthians 13:4 states that
"charity (love) envieth not..."
So by truly loving our neighbors,
We will stop envying them.
Instead of wanting "the other man's grass",
we can be sincerely happy in the blessings of others.
By letting go of envy,
we can appreciate all of the "riches"
that God has bestowed upon us in our own lives.
Please, let us never take envy too lightly...
For after all,
It was out of envy
That our beloved Saviour was turned over
to be crucified...
"For he knew that for envy they had delivered him."
Matthew 27: 18
If this is what envy does to us...
Then I guess that I can be more
than happy with
my own "green grass..."
and my little homemade greenhouse!
Most people would rank envy on the low end of the "Which Sins Are The Worst" list but it is clear from Romans that envy is just as displeasing to God as fornication or murder. The worst part about envy is that it distracts us from the blessings that God gives us.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note it is definitely a blessing to see those vegetables growing now, especially with it being so cold lately (I think it is suppose to be nice this weekend). I would love to see those vegetables grow throughout the winter. That would be awesome!
Your morning sounds so pleasant, Mrs. Laura! And how exciting about what all you have growing in your greenhouse! The tomatoes were especially a surprise to see. My Dad and I have been talking about putting in a simple greenhouse/hoop house as growing vegetables into the winter months (and also starting them earlier in the spring) is something that we would really like to try to do. It probably won’t be a project we’ll get to this year as there is so much else going on, but maybe next year. Seeing the success of yours is certainly inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI am glad that your greenhouse wasn’t damaged too badly in the storm and that you were able to get it fixed!
And once again, I was blessed by the thoughts that you shared regarding envy. It can be so easy for this more subtle sin to creep into our lives . . . and as you shared, it is the opposite of love. And when I think about it, envy really stems and is a symptom from selfishness and pride. Instead of being other oriented, we are self oriented. And as you shared, Christ has called us to love our neighbors . . . and He has called us to die to ourselves, and live for Him . . . always seeking to follow the two greatest of commandments of loving the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. And if we are seeking to do these two things, there will be little room for envy to take root and grow!
By the way, would you mind sharing your soup recipe sometime? It sounds (and looks!) delicious!
Dear Joshua,
ReplyDeleteWon't it be nice to see the sun this weekend! Perhaps it will stay long enough to dry everything up after all the rain we've had. I, too, am so excited about the veggies, and so thankful for all the work and help that you, Dad, Daniel and Sam put in. You are all such a blessing to me!
Love,
Mom
Dear Miss Sarah,
ReplyDeleteAs always, I love to open my e-mail and see your encouraging comments! My greenhouse has been such a blessing...and so inexpensive to make! My husband and sons made it for me. They used pvc pipe for the hoops (extremely inexpensive) and some used timbers for the base and a few trap slats along the sides. The most expensive part is probably the plastic...but if you go to a nursery they often have used plastic which is still very good for little cost. I have been starting my seedlings in it much earlier...before this, we didn't really get much in the ground before Memorial Day...now, I have lots growing before then...such a blessing!
Thank you for your wonderful comments about envy. Sometimes it is so hard, I know, our world is so "flashy" and "enticing", that is why we, as a family, have found it so important to guard ourselves from certain things (such as the media, television, movies, internet). Not always an easy task...but we are so thankful for a Saviour and His word that keeps up on the narrow path.
Sweet blessings to you and your family, my dear.
Mrs. Laura
Fresh veggies in the middle of winter....that's wonderful!!! Thank you for such a sweet,prayer for my sis-in-law. I appreciate you so much!!! HOPE your SON-day is full of little happy blessings!!!
ReplyDeleteDear Deb,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by...praying that all goes well with your sister-in-law!
Have a blessed day,
Laura
Oh how wonderful that you are getting produce from your greenhouse! I'm wanting to have one as well! ;o)
ReplyDeleteDear Nabila Grace,
ReplyDeleteI know, isn't this too cool? I love my greenhouse...and it was really easy to build and very inexpensive! I'm so excited about winter veggies...I'm going to try some experimenting to see what I can grow throughout the cold season.
Take care,
Laura