Parable of the Potatoes

 

One day, it came to pass, that I gathered my children together.  “The time has come,” I said.  “To go out into the garden and dig roots that we might have A-Plenty in the coming winter.”

 

“But Father,” my youngest son said.  “’Tis well and truly hot outside.  Were it not better to wait for cooler weather?”

 “Certainly not.  The potatoes are ready and so are we,” I said, in a somewhat gruff voice.  I am a Type A Person, even when it comes to my garden and Time, Tide, and Potatoes wait for No Man.

 On arriving in the Garden, we found that over the course of the summer, the weeds had been Well Watered.  Verily, it was more like to a jungle than to a typical garden plot.  Fortunately, we did not see either Jaguars or Poison Dart Frogs during our brief sojourn.

 But Elliot was right.  Despite the time being six hours after noon, it was still very hot and muggy.  Whilst the potatoes were there, the digging of them was Not-Much-Fun.

 “Do we have to finish this row?”  Vincent asked, in a dismal voice.

 “Sure – and do the next one too,” I said, although I was feeling tired and was drenched with perspiration.  “You’ll be glad of these potatoes come winter.”

 “There are plenty of potatoes at Food Lion and Walmart,” my son grumbled, under his breath.  This was an accurate, if unhelpful statement. 

"If I were the one in charge of the Garden," Elliot said.  "I would plant Self-Digging potatoes!"

 Finally, we finished digging the potatoes.  The time that had transpired was less than it seemed, as the heat and the effort made it seem longer.  Whereas we had planted about ten pounds of seed potatoes, we dug something over one hundred pounds of eating potatoes.

 A garden teaches children (and adults) Many Things.  Perhaps one of the most important lessons that I hope my children learn from our garden is Perseverance

 Many in this world lack perseverance.  Whereas they are happy to work when it is cool outside and they are having a Good Old Time, when the weather turns hotter and it is not so much fun, they abandon their task to try to find something easier.

 There are many things in this life that require endurance, for life is not a One Hundred Meter Dash, it is a Marathon.  As the author of Hebrews said, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” (Heb 10:36)

 Truly, it is necessary to press on in the tasks that are set before us, enduring to the end.  For God has promised wonderful things for His children who persevere – even better, if it were possible, then one hundred and twenty pounds of freshly dug potatoes