Zucchini Faith… OK weekend readers, go ahead and laugh about my ‘zucchini’ musings but I really do have a reason why faith and zucchini have a connection with each other! Of course, growing them in our garden up here at the campground in New Mexico is fun, but since I have only a ‘brown thumb’ I depend on Al’s help and my faith that these delicious veggies will actually occur!

Like most gardens, many of us plant all different kinds of vegetables and fruits. We have 4 varieties of tomatoes including the purple heritage ones-yum; and a variety of peppers from bells to hot ones, strawberries and snap peas which rarely come into the kitchen because we eat them off the vines. We have broccoli and red cabbage and to my surprise they actually turned out pretty good and very delicious. Squash is on the way and we have too many sweet onions but we share that with campers. And then—there is the zucchini. And for what reason we don’t understand, our rock squirrels love the zucchini—love it to death I should say. We work hard to keep them out but they are pretty wily if not down-right persistent!

This year’s zucchini seemed later than normal and really small and then boom—they got their stretch-on and some of them you could use for a baseball bat! It was like 6” grew up in 24 hours. The interesting part of this was my attitude. Here we are, now into September and they just seemed to not be doing anything and then, well they did! And that brings me to the ‘seed of attitude’ so let’s explore it.

I write this on Labor Day weekend. We are on duty and it is a zoo here as you can imagine. The last dregs of summer and everyone wants a campsite but didn’t make their reservations and now they are upset with me. Others don’t comply with our no-alcohol/marijuana rules and off to the paddy-wagon with the sheriff. It is easy to have a “tiny seed of bad attitude” and forget the 90% of our campers who are truly wonderful. Attitude is like the zucchini, it can start small but in no time stretch out to be all-encompassing in your mind and worse yet, on your tongue.

The reason I love gardening regardless of my brown-thumb, is the joy of the “fruits” it gives. In Matthew 7:12, 15-16 NLT, Jesus had something to say about those fruits:

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you…
beware of false prophets who come disguised as
harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.
You can identify them by their fruit that is, by the way they act.
Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”

Ouch, I don’t want my attitude to be like thistle or thorns. I want people to identify me as a friend, a child of God, someone who cares for others. I need to expose that bad-seed of attitude and turn it over to the Lord right away. If I don’t, like the zucchini, that attitude can grow and stretch and be that “baseball bat” that can hurt me and others.

When Jesus said we can be ‘recognized by our fruit’ I want that fruit to be the recognition of kindness, joy, full of grace and ready to share hope and encouragement. If I am determined to act in this way, my heart and soul will continue to bear fruit for myself and others.

Like the fruits and vegetables in my garden, I too need tending, help with growth, food and water and yes, a good pruning. However, I cannot do this on my own—it can only come from my loving Lord. I need his touch to tend my heart and my mind, so I can use the skills and talents given me that will not only enhance my own life, but be a gift to someone else.

In closing I’m thinking that we all could ask the Lord to pull harmful attitudes from the “gardens” of our hearts. Like the zucchini, we can either grow huge with love and joy, or grow huge with bitterness and sour attitudes. With the Master Gardener at the helm, the good fruit in our souls will continue to grow and our attitudes will reflect the light of Christ to others. Now that would truly wind up as a bountiful harvest indeed! So, ask yourself, “what kind of Zucchini Faith do I want to practice?” Yes, it is your choice. AMEN.