Thank you for committing to this 30 Day Christian Green Living Challenge with us! Each day as we step through our journey, I’ll share the challenge for the day then, depending on your green goals, I will share resources where you can learn more, dig deeper into the topic, or challenge yourself even more. We will do the challenge once *live* together, but you can participate anytime by joining in on the comments below and by using the hashtag #ChristianGreenLiving. So, when you’re ready, let’s Go Christian Green!
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” — Audrey Hepburn
Gardening — if you’ve not tried it — now is a great time!
Growing your own food comes without plastic and packaging. It brings you joy without carbon emissions and it gives you a little green opportunity to participate in God’s creation. From the soil itself sprouts life.
Plant a seed and watch it move, transform and grow into something both beautiful and delicious!
I think it’s obvious that I love to garden, but I’m not a huge gardener. My garden is only 12 x 24 and although I try, sometimes I succeed and have an awesome year and sometimes I can barely pull a cucumber. But, it’s really not about how big your garden is or how successful it grows. What’s important is your intention and the beauty you can experience through it.
Gardening can help you grow your own food, avoid packaging, reduce carbon emissions, make use of rainfall, provide healthier foods and so many other things, but more than that, gardening is an opportunity to connect with God.
Nurturing a garden is a way of participating in God’s creation and like liturgy, it can be very sensory. You feel the dirt, the smooth leaves, the rough stems. You smell the compost, the plants, their flowers, and fruits. You see the development, the growth, the animals, and butterflies. You hear the birds and the world around you as you weed, work, and harvest. After all that, you can then taste the healthy fruits of your efforts!
Gardening with the intention of connecting with God and sharing in his gifts enhances your experience and can give you more reason to be eco-friendly.
Today’s Day 24 Challenge:
Have you tried gardening? What about a container garden if you don’t have much space? If you already have a garden, do you avoid chemicals and use natural/organic methods to grow an eco-friendly garden? Do you lo0k for and find God in the experience?
Pray
Today let’s pray with gratitude for the gifts of the earth and its ability to produce nutritious fruit to sustain life. May God bless us all to enjoy and be fed through its harvest.
Act
If you don’t already have a garden, take some time to make a plan to start one. Even if you only have room for a few upcycled patio garden pots, you can still enjoy gardening. If you already garden, think about how you can improve it and make it more eco-friendly. If you are already an organic gardener, plant a few extra plants to share with the food bank or someone who would really appreciate the fresh gifts!
Share
Share your garden plans! Comment below and/or using the hashtag #ChristianGreenLiving. We’d love to hear about them!
Learn More~
- “How To Start An Organic Garden” — From Whole Lifestyle Nutrition
This article has a good beginner’s guide to starting a raised bed garden with helpful planting tips too. - “5 Best Container Vegetables for Beginning Gardeners” — by Brown Thumb Mama
- “Small Space Edible Gardens” – from Sunset Magazine
You’ll find a lot of ideas for growing small vegetable gardens. - “15 of The Best Indoor Plants” — by This Little Blog of Mine
Growing plants indoors can also be rewarding, especially if outside gardening isn’t possible. - “The Ultimate Guide to Butterflies” — from DIY Garden
This article is a great resource to learn about butterflies and how they can help in your garden.
Ready to pin! Thanks for sharing!
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