You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in. (Leviticus 25:20-22)
It was a beautiful, Saturday afternoon and it was designated for working in the garden. It was perfect. My wife and I were excited. There would be much weeding, and mulching, and tilling. We had cleared our calendar and we had our plants. And then we had company.
And the garden did not get planted.
Our company was a childhood friend of our oldest son. Last year, he moved from the house next door to a house forty miles away. He stayed for a sleep over. The rest of his family stayed into the night.
And the garden did not get planted.
There was an afternoon of fashioning Nerf-dart blow guns from PVC pipe and duct tape, not only for our son and his friend, but his younger sister and our two younger sons. In the evening, we ate belated birthday cake and played night tag.
And the garden did not get planted.
When I went to bed on Saturday night, I rationalized that my Sabbath had started Saturday afternoon, included blow-dart making, cake, and night tag, and would wrap up Sunday after church. "I will still be able to plant the garden tomorrow," I said to myself as I fell asleep.
On Sunday morning, our son's friend accompanied us to church. After worship, we came home and had lunch. I looked out at the kitchen window towards the garden, sitting there...taunting me. Then, some other friends came over and brought their daughter with them for a visit. Their daughter and our middle son have been fast friends their whole lives. It was a good visit. Our Sabbath was extended as our children played happily. The adults talked and talked. Time went quickly and soon, it was deep afternoon. The waning sun was casting waxing shadows over the unplanted garden when our friends said goodbye.
In these last few hours of daylight, my wife and I, rested and filled-up, made our way to the untamed plot of land we envisioned as a garden. We broke ground. We weeded. But there was still much work to be done.
And the garden still was not planted.
And it is okay. The Lord has promised that when we stop, He will provide. There will be enough time. There will be enough money. There will be enough visits with good friends and the growing of deep relationships with God and family. He will provide for all of our needs...
Even if the garden never gets planted.
Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.
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