Heavenly Plant Matters

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” 

Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV

This is my first sweet potato harvest! 

I was so excited to pull these out of the garden! 

You see, I grew them in pots. Three pots, to be exact. I was tracking well with them throughout the season – water, fertilizer, and trimming the leaves when the vines got too long. So we enjoyed the sweet potato greens from the trimming, as did the rabbits before the trim! These greens had a much better flavor and texture than the okra leaves from earlier in the season. 

I followed the advice of the YouTubers and other garden bloggers, sorting through the conflicting information via Google and the World Wide Web. The video I chose to follow for how to grow your own sweet potato slips was spot on. The information was super helpful, and the best method for the space I am currently using. 

I followed some other videos on the growing process on the way to a sweet potato harvest, and since I don’t specifically know what worked and what didn’t, I’ll not link them here. 

But finally – when to harvest. Oh my goodness! 

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* Should it be when the leaves start to yellow? . . . But leaves yellow throughout the season as one-offs. Or two, or three. 

*How about just before the first frost, or, is it after the second frost for added sweetness? 

*Or perhaps after 100-120 days? 

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The thing is, they are probably all correct. I just have to know what works in my regional climate, my backyard climate, and even the micro-climate where I’m specifically growing the sweet potatoes in the yard. Sounds smart, right? Things I’ve picked up on the web . . . 😎 

(If you know of some successful YouTube gardeners in the North Texas area, I would love to know about them! Please comment below.)

I can’t help but wonder how big these sweet potatoes may have gotten if I let them grow just a few weeks longer. That probably would have been fine in my growing space. Can’t really pull them out of the pots and check though, ya know? 

The thing is, I have to be careful who I listen to. In gardening, in business, in relationships. There are voices that speak to everything in life and about everything I want to know. 

But besides speaking, what else do these voices do that I’m listening to? They create a filter through which I view the world. More importantly, they create a filter through which I view God –  and those voices assist or hinder the way I hear his voice. 

These voices can be: 

• Culture – the things that are deemed acceptable. 
• Music – secular or Christian. 
• News – no matter what the perspective, there is a lot of hype to dig through. 
• My own voice in my head – is it correct or is it skewed by my experiences and limited perspective? 
• Insert your own “voice” list. 

We, as a “Christian culture,” run here and there, picking up “God’s words” from this pastor, that prophet, and/or the priest on Sunday. We can also gather insight from this magazine, that video, and the posts in our feeds. The sources can be endless, and yes, they all have their place. But James the brother of Jesus, stated: 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

James 1:5, NIV

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“What should I write about today?”
Ask God. (How about Sweet Potato Harvest? It wasn’t even on my radar for this week!)

“What are my next steps in the job search?”
Ask God. 

“How do I navigate the relational discrepancies in my home?”
Ask God. 

“How do I serve and minister to the people of God? Today?”
Ask God. 

😊

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You get the idea. Ask God. Ask him directly. Let him answer you directly. Or let him point you in the correct direction. It seems harder than it is. And sometimes we can be afraid of the answer, or worse, of no answer. But back to the Word of God, we are reminded that 

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear . . .” 

I John 4:18a, NIV

Whatever is stopping you from asking him, probably comes from a fear you don’t even know you have. He’ll help you through it. And if you’re listening to voices that should be representations of his but you’re not sure – I would encourage you to read I John 4:1-3 to help you sort it out. 

Sweet potatoes are easy. And usually inconsequential. 

Life though, is a completely different story. It’s not always easy but what I can do is: 

• Listen to his voice as I go. 
• First. 
• Unfiltered as much as I can. 
• And trust him to make my steps secure. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” 

Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV

Just for fun, check out this 1980s throwback from Farrel and Farrel!
People in a box – funny how some musings are timeless. Full run time is 3:33.

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