Gardening, Repentance, and Consistency

I grew up in a small but vibrant town in Southern Utah called Kanab. We lived in three different houses in Kanab, but the one where I did most of my growing up was on 400 south. Our house was surrounded by gardens.

To the left of us, the Buttons had a large garden and a corral behind their house where they kept horses and sometimes a few beef cows. I would help take care of these animals when they were out of town.

To the right of us was Lester and Ruth Johnson. They kept a meticulous yard and large garden with just about every kind of fruit and vegetable you can imagine surrounding their property.

Right behind us was Thayne Smith. He also had a large garden area with a big green house and a chicken coop. He owned a nursery in town.

Our yard had a pear tree, an apple tree, a grape vine hanging over the fence from the Johnsons, and, you guessed it, a large garden area. (We also had a basketball court which was awesome.)

When you contrasted the red cliffs with the green gardens surrounding us it was a small paradise. But I did have to learn to work hard. My dad was incredible with his gardening skills. He was also very competitive and wouldn't be outdone by the gardens surrounding our home.

He would meticulously prepare the ground and make sure the rows he plowed were straight and even. He would cultivate the perfect soil to make sure each area of the garden would produce and yield the greatest amount of harvest.

My job was to make sure the garden was irrigated (every 4 days) and that all weeds and pests were kept out.

When my Dad was around, I worked hard because I knew I would be in trouble if I didn't. But work was hard to find in Kanab so my Dad would take jobs out of state in California for sometimes months at a time. He would go and work construction for my uncle Bud's company who did government contracts.

When he left, I would sigh with relief because I thought I could get away with letting the weeds go for a while and not have to check the garden every day. One instance in particular sticks out in my mind. My Dad left and I then proceeded to let the weeds get out of control.

They started to take over the whole garden. Then one day my mom told me that my Dad would be coming home the following day. I looked out at the garden and fear swept over me. I knew that if my Dad came home and saw the yard and garden in this shape, I would be in deep trouble.

So I begged my Mom to let me stay home from school so I could work to get the yard and garden back in shape before my Dad came home. My mother agreed, knowing how frustrated my Dad would be and wanting him to be happy when he got home.

I ran out to the garden and started to hoe down the weeds as fast as I could. As I was doing this my neighbor Lester Johnson leaned over the fence and with a big smile on his face said "Your Dad's coming home isn't he?"

I said yes and he let out a big chuckle and went back to his work. Gratefully, I was able to get the garden and yard in good condition before my Dad came home.

However there were some vegetables lost and the harvest that year wasn't as great as it would have been.

My Dad told me that the key to gardening is to check everyday for weeds and then if you are consistent with that, it will only take a few minutes everyday to keep the garden weed free. But if you let it go, the job just gets bigger and bigger, and can threaten the entire garden.

Years later I have realized that the principle is the same when it comes to our individual sins. Sin, like little weeds, can sprout up daily in our lives. But if we are quick to repent, we can stay clean. Eventually, we can even eradicate the sins from our lives with the help of our Savior Jesus Christ.

This requires a daily examining of ourselves, and daily fervent prayer. If we let this go, the sins like weeds will grow and grow and eventually compromise our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Sin like a weed steals the nutrients from the good plants or the good inside of us. Weeds wrap their roots around the root structure of the good plants and choke them enough to keep them from getting access to the water, then they die.

Sin does the same to our souls. The more we are entangled in sin, the harder it is to access the living water that comes from Jesus Christ. But if we repent, the Master gardener will clear our lives from sin and provide the living water we need to grow.

In the end, because of Jesus, we will yield a bountiful harvest. The key is consistent daily repentance, prayer and scripture study. Then when we face our Heavenly Father again, we will be pleased with how we have taken care of the stewardships He has entrusted us with.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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