By Doug Creamer

It has been a cool and wet spring, which has put many home gardeners behind. Trying to find time that is dry and warm enough to get started has been a challenge this year. I was finally able to get out and get things planted in my garden. Some things are popping through the soil and I am so excited to be getting this garden season going.

My garden looks so good this year. The weeds are way down and I am hoping that my fencing will keep the critters out. I have been putting my hoe to work on the weeds and need to find a way to attach the fence to the wood that surrounds my raised beds. The critters could squeeze through and eat my newly sprouted vegetables.

I grow most of my garden from seeds. I buy tomatoes, sweet potatoes and okra in cell packs. Everything else comes from seeds. I grow a variety of delicious vegetables in a small space. I look for varieties that don’t take up too much space. There is nothing like preparing the soil and planting seeds in the garden.

I love walking out to the garden every day after I plant it. I realize for the first few days it is a futile walk. But then one day I will walk out there and be rewarded with green shoots beginning to break through the soil. Then I will see the first leaves of a new plant. Over the next couple of days I will see more stems and leaves as the seeds sprout and begin to grow. I find it amazing that sometimes you can see what looks like the original seed perched on the new stems.

I have been having this feeling that God is moving and that things are going to change. While I know and firmly believe that God is always up to something good for us, when these feelings of change are stirring within me…it gives me a sense of unease.

My mind has been racing and my prayers have been filled with questions about what is going to change. I have created a mental list of things that I know will change and wondering which one is coming. Unfortunately, some of my thoughts about the upcoming changes are about unpleasant things. These thoughts can lead to worry.

Then God met me at the garden fence the other day. In my spirit I heard him whisper, “Do you remember those seeds you planted the other day? They are changing.” I looked down, and sure enough those seeds were no longer seeds, but plants growing, and in time plants that will produce a harvest. “Change doesn’t have to be something bad. It can be something wonderful.”

I had a birthday recently where I added a zero to my age. That change has caused me to think about all the things that have changed since I last added a zero. There have been so many changes in the last 10 years. So when my thoughts turn to the future and what changes lie ahead, I can feel uneasy.

One day while I was walking, I expressed my worry and concern about the upcoming changes in my life to the Lord. He listened patiently and then said, “Yes, there will be lots of things changing in the next 10 years. Some of the changes will be good, while others will bring challenges, but you can be assured of one thing…I promise that I will walk with you through every change.” With this thought came His peace.

I really don’t know what lies ahead, but I do know the One who goes before me to prepare the way for me. There will be changes in the future. My testimony is that God has seen me through so many changes in my past, and I am convinced He will see me though the changes that lie ahead. I can think about them and worry about them, or I can choose to trust Him as He walks me through each one of them. When I consider how a garden grows I realize that the changes that are on the way are going to produce new fruit in me.

I want to encourage you to consider the changes you are facing. Some of them are good and some are going to be challenging. Let me encourage you to trust Him in and through those changes. He sees you on the other side of those changes, thriving. He is a good Father who not only has a close eye on you, but His hand as well. Trust Him and enjoy the ride!

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.