This mission doesn't preach to thousands, it attracts little hands to work alongside mine. It doesn't speak eloquently, but draws my siblings and I to spend some quality time together. So far, it hasn't changed the hearts of hundreds, but it has softened a few, including mine. No emotional tears yet, but a couple delighted smiles.
This mission is called raising an herb garden. Starting in probably January or February, I was ignoring the icy temperature outside with my nose stuck in a gardening magazine. Wow, it had everything I never knew I always wanted! They almost had me convinced that I really could grew exotic coffee plants and dwarf pomegranate trees in Wisconsin.
Then I came to the page with herbs. I recognized a few plants whose names matched the spice bottles in the cupboard, and I started to think: what if I grew these things? My Mom, a dreamer the whole 9 yards, shared my excitement and went into a spiel about how much better home grown food is, how much healthier fresh herbs are than dehydrated ones, how everything had medicinal qualities, etc., etc. Instantly, I was lit up about it.
As this was not the first dream I've had, Mom instructed me to study about the plants for the months between then, with two feet of snow outside, and the warm planting weeks. As usual, I dived into research, trying to find out everything I could about every herb I had time to study. It turns out that this dream was not a passing whim as the other ones were of keeping guinea pigs in my bedroom, raising Angora rabbits (even though I'm a terrible seamstress), or being a fashion designer. This dream was one worth following through on.
When May finally came, my Mom fulfilled her promise to get me going on my herb garden. She gave me two small strawberry beds that had been idle for over a year, and overrun with weeds. Even though it was a job, weeding those beds did something really good for me: it showed me that dreams can and do come true, but you need to go out there and make them come true: get your hands dirty. Literally.
At last, the wonderful day came to begin picking out herbs. God provided every step of the way: the day we happened to start looking for plants was the day the store had herbs on sale. My eyes have rarely been wider then when I was rushing through the greenhouse, smelling and touching and choosing the best mint, basil, chamomile, etc.
Everyday, I still consider the fact that these plants are alive and flourishing a miracle. For a long time, the tiny plants were puny, weak, wilting, and pathetic. Most of them that look great now are the ones I feared most for. Come on, just make it one more day! But now, it looks like I'd have a hard time killing them if I wanted to. A wonderful dream come true!
Sure, this is a decent and useful dream that I have enjoyed, but what is it's point eternally? Why would it count as a mission? That was one of the reasons I wanted to do it, actually. Often times, I see women leave their own families to someone else's care, some even for the sake of mission trips. But I ask you, ladies: where else can you possibly have the biggest effect on anyone as much as you have on your children? Where is your influence, if not in the home? Where can you see faces brighten as much as when your kids smell the fresh cookies you baked just for them? Where else can you demonstrate God's love as much as when you are changing diapers, playing with your kids, and tucking them in at night?
It took me a long time to realize that as the big sister, my greatest influence is right here, at home, living and loving my siblings. They are the ones who see my bad side, my failures, my struggles, my bedhead. They are the ones who need to know most that God works through sinners like me, and gives them mercy.
Mark 9:35, 'Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."'
Matthew 20:25-27, 'Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."'
For a long time, especially since Trent's death, I have wondered how to connect and spend time with my siblings. It was easier when we were younger and could play tag, dolls, coloring, etc., but how does a 17 year old and an 11 year old spend the afternoon together? A lot of compromising has been going on lately. God has helped me to love my brothers and sister more than ever. We have played in the sprinkler, baked goodies, went on bike rides, and stuff like that. It's so profound, but it's not all about me. To love, you need to put others before yourself.
I know it sounds strange, but the herbs have drawn us together. 8-year-old Micah and I have more than once ran out to the little garden, plucked a few choice leaves, and stirred up two-serving sized batches of iced tea with a tint of mint, lemon balm, or pineapple sage (that really does taste like pineapple!) He proudly claimed his place the other day as my right hand padawan (a Jedi apprentice in Star Wars) and that we were in it together. Now, I stop and think about how we are enjoying each other and having a lot of fun just doing something together. And something useful that benefits the whole family! Lately, my family and I have enjoyed spaghetti with fresh parsley, herb butter on french bread, and tea. Soon to be added will be mint candies, sweet basil vinegar, artificial sugar, and dried spices.
Yes, it is humble, but this is a home-based mission focused on bringing us together and adding a little bit of homegrown sunshine to spice up our lives.
What is your humble mission?
