As a young man growing up in East Texas I tried my hand at gardening. I had a vision of a garden that would produce vegetables my family could enjoy as well being able to sell what we couldn’t eat for a profit. I had seen others grow productive gardens so I believed it was possible for me to do the same thing. I sat down with my father and together we came up with a plan for making my vision a reality. With money I earned from my paper route I bought all kinds of tomato plants and different kinds of packages of seed of vegetables I wanted to grow. My father borrowed a friend’s rotor tiller and we spent a few hours preparing the soil for the garden. Then we proceeded to plant the seeds and tomato plants. Every day I worked in that garden. I made sure it was watered, fertilized, and weeded. I put up a scarecrow to keep the birds away. I got sunburned and developed blisters on my hands. It was hard work, working in the heat and all, but I knew it would be worth it if I didn’t quit. In the end, not only did I receive a harvest for my hard work, I learned some valuable lessons that have stayed with me my entire life.
First of all, I learned the importance of having a vision of what you want to accomplish. Everything around you, whether it’s the house you live in, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, the job you work, or the church you attend, started as a vision in someone’s mind. We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision or lack thereof. Helen Keller, who was both blind and death, once said, “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” She’s right. Vision is what inspires us to do what we do. It is what motivates us to action. It is what gets us up in the morning. Former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, says “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” I meet a lot of people that are just running in circles never going anywhere. Why? Because they don’t have a vision of where they want to go and what they want to accomplish. Do you have a vision of what you want to accomplish? If not, you need one, if you are going to win in life.
Second, I believed it was possible for me to grow a productive garden. I had seen others, with no more talent than me, grow luscious bountiful produce. My dad encouraged me. He told me he believed I could do it. His encouragement helped to strengthen my belief. If your vision, whatever it is, is going to become a reality you have to believe it with all your heart. A strong belief in what is going to be, keeps you going when the going gets tough. I’ll have to admit, there were times I didn’t want to work in that garden. There were all kinds of obstacles I had to overcome. The sun was too hot, at first I couldn’t see the results of my labor, I was tired, my muscles ached, my hands were blistered, my friends were going swimming or playing baseball and I couldn’t join them because I had responsibilities. But my belief in my vision and in the finished product kept me going when I wanted to quit. During this process I learned if you have a strong enough belief you can accomplish whatever you want. Jesus taught, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.” Do you believe in your vision? No I mean do you REALLY believe in your vision?
Third, I learned the value of planning and preparation. Everyone enjoys the end result, the finished product, but few want to go through the planning and preparation stage of a project. My father taught me that if I wanted to be successful gardener it was important to “Plan my work and work my plan.” I wanted to just run out and plant some seed. But, he told me I needed to sit down and plan out exactly what I wanted. I had to figure out what I wanted to grow, where I wanted to plant the seeds, how deep to till the soil, what kind of fertilizer I would need, what the watering schedule was going to be, etc. So, we took out a piece of paper and proceeded to make a plan of action. We plotted out everything necessary for me to grow the garden. We made a list of everything I needed. We even went so far as to draw out a diagram of what would be planted where. Remember what Jesus taught about planning? He said, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it.” (Luke 14:28) Planning and preparation always precede productivity. Do you have a plan of action for making your vision a reality? “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now” says Alan Lakein. If you want it you have to plan it!
Fourth, I learned the value of working smart and working hard work. I like to say, “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” In life you can’t have positive results without positive effort. I learned if you have a vision, believe in what you are doing, make proper plans and preparation, and work hard you can accomplish anything you want. When you are doing something you believe in, I learned that work can be fun. Somebody wrote a book one time entitled, “Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow.” This gardening thing was fun for me. I enjoyed working the garden because I knew in the end I was going to be able to enjoy the fruit of my labor. Thomas Edison once said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” Are you working smart and hard at what you want to accomplish? If not, why not? Contrary to what some would have you believe, nothing is handed to you on a silver platter. If you want it you have to work for it!
Fifth, I learned that if you want a harvest you have to plant seeds. This is a principle that is talked about all through the Bible. It is the law of sowing and reaping. It is the fundamental principle that all of life is built on. In the natural we call it the law of cause and effect. I learned if I wanted to reap watermelons I had to plant watermelon seeds. If I wanted carrots I had to plant carrot seeds. And so on. I couldn’t plant radish seeds expecting to get carrots. I had to put in the ground exactly what I wanted to put on my plate! Before I could reap the benefits of my garden I had to sow the right seeds and the right effort. What kind of seeds are sowing in your life?
Parts six through ten tomorrow!
