Weekly Green Practice - Grow plants around you

I, by no means, am gifted at growing plants, but the more I try, the more I get right. I have gone from being a plant killer to an occasional plant rescuer. I like to dig up plants and move them near me. I enjoy growing plants from seeds. I am still not always successful in these endeavors, but there is something nice about getting it to work and figuring out what a plant needs. Here are some of my amateur suggestions and ways these practices have become spiritual for me.

• Grow a plant. It’s as easy as going to the store and buying some seeds, then getting soil and a container that will let excess water get out. You can grow flowers, herbs, or just a plant that you like. Many people talk about having plants in offices and other rooms that bring life into that place. Anytime you are responsible for the life of something (parents and pet owners understand this) it changes you. If you care for your plants, this can have the same effect.
• Transplant a plant. I really enjoy rescuing plants that might not make it. For example, I like to dig up young cedar trees that grow up on roadsides. I know eventually road crews will come in and mow them down, so I find a place to plant the tree where it might be useful. At camp, I’ve been able to save some trees, plant a tree in a spot Lakeshore needs one, and saved the camp the cost of buying a tree (which can get pricy). I also love to think about the possibility of one day being next to a tall tree that I put in the ground as a sapling.

Finding the Spiritual in this Practice: For me, there is just something deeply spiritual about helping something to grow. In the routine I make for myself of watering my plants, pruning limbs and dead leaves, and adding mulch and compost, I feel like I am part of something God is doing. To see my plants bloom, sprout leaves, and bear fruit is a satisfying feeling—a call for thanks and praise. Pray as you carry yourself through these routines. Find the metaphors between tending a garden or house plant and God taking care of you. Read verses that have to do with plants growing (there are so many). Growing plants is a major theme throughout the Bible. These practices will help you to identify with the stories and parables throughout the Bible. You may begin to see yourself in your plants.

Scripture: Read Jonah 4:6-11. This is one of my favorite passages. God is asking Jonah to see things from God's perspective. Jonah is whining about a plant he had nothing to do with, and God is saying, "Imagine what it's like for me the Creator to see my creation destroyed." When we take part in helping something grow, we re-connect with creation and with the Creator.