souldare

 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:8 NIV)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having a vegetable garden promises to be a fruitful endeavor. We have harvested radishes, lettuce and beans and a handful of peas. Tomatoes, pepper, cukes and squash plants sprawl across the plot with blossoms galore. I have high hopes for fresh produce in a few weeks.

But I have a problem, even though the plants look healthy and show potential for a great harvest, the squash blossoms have been blooming and then falling off with no sign of a baby zucchini or summer squash.

My mom and sister warned me that the bee population has been dwindling. They bought a cool bamboo mason bee house to attract bees, and they have zucchini. My blooms need pollinators. What is a novice gardener to do?

I could have ordered a bee house online, but my word for the year is “use” what I have. I thought I might try bundling toilet paper rolls together. My mom laughed. “That would attract some mighty big bees.” So, I did a little research and found a tutorial on making a bee attractor out of  5/16″paper rolls.

Now that I have educated myself, I produced a bee house using an empty yogurt container, brown kraft paper and clear tape. (Here’s the tutorial on how to make your own.)

As I sat winding paper around a pencil and taping it to make tubes to fill my container, a thought about spiritual fruitfulness rolled around in my mind.

What if the reason I don’t see much spiritual fruit in my life is because the “bees” have dwindled away? What if I need to somehow attract the Holy Spirit (“bees”) to “pollinate” my “blooms”? What if I need to be still enough to let the Spirit alight on my blossoming faith or even my withering faith?

Paul encouraged the Philippians to both work out their salvation and to acknowledge that God was doing the work in the them. Kind of like bees cooperating with blossoms to bear much fruit.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13 NIV)

Most of the bee house instructions say that putting the houses out in early spring works best. I am a little late, but I hope my house will still attract the bees, because I really want to enjoy the fruit of the garden in abundance.

What are you creating in your life to attract the Holy Spirit this summer?

Linking with the Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood today!