Ecclesiastes 3:13

"That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God."

Earlier I asked you where you are getting your food. The reason why I am asking is because the verse of the day focuses on how our harvest, what we reaped, finding satisfaction in these is the gift of God. If any of you ever grew anything, whether it’s a flower, herbs, or vegetables, you might be familiar with the pride one has when they watch it grow. Even more for people who are able to incorporate this into their meals.

I remember last summer; I had an abundance of zucchinis and summer squash. I indulged in finding ways to cook with those delectable vegetables. One of my favorites was a very simple recipe: I sautéed the golden vegetable in olive oil and splashed balsamic venerate. It exploded with flavor in my mouth, making me salivate even more while chewing. My family also delighted in zucchini bread as I pulled them out of the oven, moist while being rich in both flavor and nutrients (folate, potassium, vitamin A and manganese can be found in this common vegetable).

How can one not be satisfied in eating what they have grown? To think that this is an intentional gift of God only puts me in awe. He planned it this way, for us to kneel in the soil, digging with our hands and gently patting the seeds in. For us to water it daily, to gasp when we first see the greens sprouting of the brown earth. Then to be able to witness its growth to a full-fledged zucchini, complete with flowers. It truly is a beautiful plant, which mesmerized me as I watched it stretch across my garden last summer. My good friend told me that even the flowers were edible. One could simply stuff it with a mixture of ricotta cheese and mozzarella along with herbs, then frying it. I remember thinking to myself; even the flowers are considered food? That was new to me, yet it did not completely surprise me. After all, anything is possible with God.

How can one not see that as a miracle? All we do is kneel, plant, water and harvest. While we may set the catalyst, by combing the seed with soil, water and placing it where the sun will shine. God alone is the one who preplanned it all. Without him, we would not have the soil, water or even the sunshine. He knew the exact combination required to produce such reaction. He made it so that we had to do a bit of work, or a lot, depending on how big your garden or even farm is. We are a part of his equation. You could say we are the catalyst in this scenario, but again, not without Him. He determined that it was us who would toil, and us who would gain the satisfaction from doing so. He could have easily arranged it so that we would have to work all day long to get no results, but instead, He made it so that we are rewarded with succulent food and flowers.

I say that it truly is a gift of God. Doesn’t it make you want to go out and plant something? I sure do! One could even gain the satisfaction by buying it from a farmer, who worked hard, and we can genuinely enjoy it by honoring that. Can we say the same when we walk into a massive supermarket? A faceless vegetable that is bland compared to a possibly misshapen vegetable packed with flavor, handed over by a tanned farmer with a smile on his face. I know what I would rather.

To find a farmer’s market close by, you can search at http://states.farmersmarket.com/ or google it and see what comes up.

Furthermore, I wanted to include a recipe with zucchini.

Vegetarian Greek Moussaka

1 1/4 lb eggplant

1 1/4 lb zucchini

1 1/4 lb potatoes

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 Tbsp breadcrumbs (can substitute with gluten free)

1 bag of Parmesan cheese, shredded (use fresh if possible)

Tomato sauce

2 medium tomatoes

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tsp sea salt

1/4- 1/2 c olive oil

1/4 c balsamic vinaigrette

1/2 c water

1.) Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2.) Slice the vegetables thinly, toss in a bowl with salt. Set aside.

3.) Make the sauce by combining ingredients in a blender. Can be chunky, it depends on your preference. Pour in a saucepan and boil until chunky. Set aside.

4.) Cover the bottom of a glass casserole pan with breadcrumbs.

5.) Layer with vegetables and cheese: I suggest two vegetables then cheese, and et cetera.

6.) Pour tomato sauce over the pan, evenly. Use the rest of the cheese and sprinkle over the vegetables.

7.) Bake for 20 minutes, and then reduce heat to 400 degrees.

8.) Bake for 30-40 minutes more, until the top is browned and you can easily penetrate the vegetables with a fork. You also want the smell to envelop the kitchen.

9.) Enjoy!

Psalm 104:13-15

"He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; _ the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, _ and plants for people to cultivate— _ bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, _ oil to make their faces shine, _ and bread that sustains their hearts.”


Gardening is a way for us to eat healthier, for it means fresh produce on our tables. Not only that, but it also requires dedication, manual labor and time. All positive qualities in a Christian, for the Lord wants dedication to Him, people who are not afraid to work hard for life is not handed over on a silver platter and time. He wants us for eternity, not just a fleeting moment every once in a while.

When I get down on my knees in the soil, I can only praise God for allowing me to do this seemingly simple task. All I do is “cultivate” as the verse states, after all He is the one who gave us the plants. He designed the seeds to react to the combination of fertilizer, soil and sunshine. How much simpler can it get? Yet it takes a great deal of effort, which in our society seems unreasonable when we can simply walk into a grocery store and buy a perfectly mundane fruit or vegetable. Have you ever tasted a zucchini freshly plucked off the stems mere hours earlier? How about basil you harvested only a minute earlier, added to your sauce or topped on your meal. If you have, you know how much fresher, how much more zest they have to offer than days or even weeks old produce. Harvests from our garden have not yet been frozen, bruised from travel, or even sprayed with chemical. God did not intend food to be created that way. Instead He wants us to cultivate.

When looking at the word cultivate, I was curious to see what the exact definition was. Here it is:

Cul-ti-vate [kuhl-tuh-veyt] Show IPA
–verb (used with object),-vat-ed, -vat-ing.
1.
to prepare and work on (land) in order to raise crops; till.
2.
to use a cultivator on.
3.
to promote or improve the growth of (a plant, crop, etc.) by labor and attention.
4.
to produce by culture: to cultivate a strain of bacteria.
5.
to develop or improve by education or training; train; refine: to cultivate a singing voice.
6.
to promote the growth or development of (an art, science, etc.); foster.
7.
to devote oneself to (an art, science, etc.).
8.
to seek to promote or foster (friendship, love, etc.).
9.
to seek the acquaintance or friendship of (a person).

To prepare and work on, to promote or improve growth by labor and attention, produce by culture, devote oneself to, and to seek. All actions that the Lord wants us to apply to our relationship with Him as well. While gardening itself is important, let’s not forget that in the Bible, Jesus himself stated that his Father is THE gardener.

John 15:1-3

"The Vine and the Branches
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you."

He also wants us to cultivate our relationship with Him, promoting growth by devoting ourselves to Him. We can do this by spending time with Him, reading the Bible, taking time to pray, memorizing His Words, applying His lessons to our lives and more.

With this in mind, I encourage you to garden! Maybe you already have one in your backyard, or you might be thinking that you don’t have any space to grow anything, whether you live in the city or not. You can buy a pot, or even find an old bowl and fill it with soil. The simplest of those are herbs, such as basil. Be sure to water it daily and let it bask in the warmth of the sunshine on a window sill. If you want to start a garden outside, be sure to clear out a space, perhaps a square by building a landscaper’s box. I have two, since the raised bed allows for deeper roots, better water distribution and faster warming system. There are plenty of how-to books or even articles on line that you can look up to see how to accomplish this. Or perhaps you already have a huge garden! If you feel you cannot do any of these, how about finding a farmer’s market or a local grocery store that buys directly from local farmers?

I began prepping my garden a week ago, by using the compost pile we have out back. I was able to loosen the soil and plant the seeds. I felt like a little kid playing in the dirt! Hopefully it will do well this year with labor, attention and dedication.



My garden all prepped to go!



The compost pile- you can see how much we've used. It comes from yard trimmings, leaves and discarded roots from my garden last year.

Don’t forget to cultivate your relationship with the Lord; perhaps study the passages included in this posting.