Life Lessons I Learned from a Landscaper

I know this guy who is a landscaper. Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land or gardening; the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beauty within the landscape.

To hear him talk about his profession, it made me think about the Time, Experience, and Patience he has to have in order to see a plant grow. It’s amazing how these characteristics are synonymous with the unique components each individual needs in order to grow in life.

Life Lessons in Strong Roots

He explained to me how there are three major things that a plant needs in order to produce: Soil, Fertilizer, and Water.

But, with those three components necessary for your plant to grow, you want the roots to be strong and resilient.

So, he told me that he starts planting seeds in the fall and not the spring. Really? I thought to myself, isn’t that a little early? He laughed saying, “No, it’s a great time.” Why? He begins to explain to me that while the seeds are lying dormant in the ground, they’re not affected by the colder weather, and by the time spring comes, the roots would have been trained to sustain fluctuations in the weather.

The process used to make the roots strong involves watering a plant and waiting until the leaves wilt or get weak. Then, you water it again. When it revives itself, repeat the process. Wait 3-4 days if the temperature is cooler outside, but if the temperature is warmer, do it every 1-2 days.

The reason for doing this is to build and strengthen the root system. So when a plant goes through extreme circumstances it will be able to withstand the harsh conditions getting ahead of the change in weather and expanding between two seasons.

How Strong are Your Roots?

I thought about how the unpredictable trials of life would come and go, causing me to feel weak at times. In those seasons, I would make a decision to change the way I looked at the trial. The life lesson would be so refreshing to me, just like that sprinkle of water to the leaves of a frail plant.

While I could never predict the “Time” when these moments in life will show up, through past “Experience” I’ve learned the value of “Patience” knowing that my being upset was not going to change what I had to learn from the situation.

I want to thank that Landscaper for teaching me the life lesson of the Time, Experience, and Patience it takes to do his job.

It motivated and inspired me to want to be that BLOOM of beauty in the landscape of my life, holding steadfast and rooted no matter what obstacle comes my way.

So, What’s the Play Call?

Here are 3 helpful scriptures to encourage and motivate us with Time, Experience, and Patience:

• Time: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
• Experiences: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” Psalm 34:8
• Patience: “I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1