I am not a Master Gardener.
I don’t cause the rain to fall,
or the sun to shine,
or the seeds to germinate.
Forgive me, O Lord, when I mistake the plow in my hand
for a scepter that belongs only to you.
Help me not to dismiss small beginnings.
Teach me to be faithful in the seemingly fruitless tasks,
the everyday mundane, and the hard soil of my life.
When I’m eager to shortcut my way to fruitfulness,
remind me how sweet it is to remain on the vine, abiding in you.
Apart from you, I can do nothing.
Let me not miss the tasks before me today.
Help me let go of my own ideas of what it means to be fruitful
and instead look to you for the fruit only you can produce.
The sink-full of dirty dishes, the load of laundry,
the meals to make, the hearts that need tending.
You can and will use every simple act of faithfulness
to sow fruitfulness into my life.
Help me steward what I’ve been given this day
that you might grow me into your likeness,
that what flourishes from this season
will make much of your faithfulness
and less of my fruitfulness.
Amen.