Have the Right Tools –
For years my garden failed. Each year after researching what I wanted to plant, spending money on seeds and seedlings, and taking the time to plant it, my garden would start to grow, but it never seemed to do much. Oh, I had plenty of small tomatoes or perhaps a couple of servings of beans and a few squash, but what I should have gotten did not happen.
Why? I didn’t have the right tools.
The first tool that I lacked was good information. I think that I needed to dig the soil deeper. I’m fairly sure that regardless of the drip hoses, the plants did not get enough water, and the soil was also poor.
Second, I lacked the physical tool that I needed to make the job doable. Our ground is very hard. A shovel just isn’t the right tool.
Third, I did not realize how many animals would be partaking of the crop. The year my beautiful leaf lettuce disappeared – mowed to the ground – I got a clue!
The root cause of my failed gardens was that although I thought I knew what I was doing, I really didn’t. The best tool to have is wisdom. No matter what goals you undertake, pray first.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James 1:5
After years of failed gardens, I saw the enemy that I faced. As I sat in my chair looking out the window, a deer and her offspring stood in my backyard and pulled plums off the tree. As extra plums hit the ground, a groundhog patiently waited . . . And I had thought the squirrels and the birds were eating the plums . . . My garden had not stood a chance!
I knew that it was time to stop gardening until I could resolve all the things that stood in my way. Would I buy better dirt? Would I invest in a fence? Did I really want to do this? How sure was I of the results?
Any goal you set can come to this crossroads. In business, for example, you face similar issues. Hire more folks? Buy new equipment? Update software? Change locations? Advertise? Invest in land? Rent? It does not matter what it is, remember to pray.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Perhaps if I had prayed more about my early gardens, God would have shown me the challenge that I was going to have with the animals, and I would have been able to make more informed decisions.
LIFE APPLICATION
The challenge is to ask God for wisdom before going forward with your goals. If you are led to proceed, don’t go cheap on the tools or cut corners. Purchase the right tools for the job. You don’t have to get the most expensive tools, but do get what you need. Success will be more likely because the right tools are not only a time savor, but they can make or break the outcome.