I remember the year my neighbor and I both planted daisies.

We were two young wives in love with the idea of having a little flower garden all to ourselves. Maybe the idea came to us over a cup of tea, or perhaps it was something we noticed on one of our many afternoon walks. Regardless of what triggered the idea, it was on both of our minds in the spring of 1994.

Sure, we could have taken the easy road and went straight for the potted plants, but seeing that we were young wives on tight budgets we purchased a few packets of seeds with the little change that we had.

Surely that would do the job, wouldn’t it?

After carefully preparing the ground, I sprinkled the seeds according to direction, lightly covered them with soil, watered the ground, and then then stood back to let nature take it's course.

Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months… all the while not a single seed gave birth to a daisy. Certainly there was plenty of growth to be excited about, but each and every time it was nothing but another weed.

Thankfully I didn't let that experience discourage me. Instead I continued to plant flowers over the years--some better than others.

I don't always understand why some plants refuse to grow and others, like my salvia plants, multiply under my care. I don’t really have to do anything special to them, they just keep multiplying and getting healthier year after year.

My lupines? They're a whole other story.

I’m reminded of a scripture found in the book of Ecclesiastes. It's a good one for wives and for moms who are sprinkling seeds among those they love.

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. – Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 (KJV)

What Solomon is saying here is “Carpe Diem!” Seize the day, ladies! The farmer who sits around waiting for perfect weather conditions misses out on the harvest because the sun, the wind and the rain will always be out of his control.

Nature is in the palm of God’s hand. The farmer’s job is to get out there and plant the seeds--it’s the Lord’s job to bring forth the harvest.

In other words, if we sit around waiting for a perfect husband or a perfect marriage before we plant seeds, we’re missing the mark. Our job is to love our husbands according to the will of God today--right now--and to trust Him with our future.

The heart of our husband is in the palm of God’s hand to do with as He will.

The same thing goes with raising our children. Our job is to be the best parent that we can be and to keep on planting the seeds within them. Yes, we need to nurture those seeds as they grow, but we’ll never determine the harvest they yield.

There’s nothing that we can do to change a heart, but there are plenty of seeds we can plant for the Master, aren't there?

We never know what's taking place below the surface of the soil. Keep planting, keep praying, and keep trusting the Lord for His goodness.

As for me and my daisies... I never did get those seeds to work out, but I've since planted a garden of them just outside my front window from a few that my sister was digging out of her yard. By the end of the summer, I usually have more daisies than I can possibly handle, which is yet another reminder of God's grace in my life.

Carpe Diem!

Darlene Schacht www.timewarpwife.com

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