Today was tomato planting day, an event that always makes me feel as though spring has really arrived in Seattle. And to top it off, it was the first really warm and sunny day so far this year.
We turned the beds and added compost. It was surprisingly the compost that held my attention the longest. I was amazed by the thousands of worms diligently at work transforming our stinky food waste and garbage into black gold. Gone were moldy left overs from the fridge and the rotten potatoes that had not survived our hard frosts this year. In their place was rich black sweet smelling compost ready to be spread on the garden. It is the best fertilizer around – not only adding nutrients to the soil but improving the structure so that roots can grow deeper and water is better retained.
As I contemplated this amazing transformation I could not help but think of the ways that God transforms our lives. Often it is the stinky smelly things from our past, those things we want to throw out in the garbage that God wants to transform into the foundations of our faith and ministry. It is often the addictions, failures and inadequacies of our lives that God transforms into our strengths. At least that has been the experience of my life.
Thank God for compost and worms. Thank God for the healing and transforming power of the gospel that can take the very worst of who we have been and transform us all into the people God intends us to be.
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