Most days I’m operating in my true gifting. I have the spiritual gift of killing plants. I am infatuated with the idea of gardening. My foodie heart swoons over the prospect of plucking plump produce and harvesting herbs from my own garden to use in cooking creations.

However, I’ve discovered gardening requires commitment. There’s weeding and watering, pruning and picking to do on the regular. For many years, gardening remained on my to-don’t list because I was raising babies and writing books and pulled in a thousand other directions. House plants didn’t have a chance in my home, and gardening was not a high priority.

Finally, I decided to try again. In Central California where I live, gardening is somewhat challenging because of our extreme heat in the summer. Temperatures soar into the triple-digits for weeks with little reprieve. A few years ago, everything in my garden got fried over a weekend under the scorching rays of the hot sun. 

Last year, I tried to plant a garden, but started too late. My plants sprung up quickly but then shriveled back after several nights of cold before any real fruit could develop. 

This summer I enlisted my dad’s help to cultivate my vegetable garden. My 82-year-old daddy has time on his hands and loves to tinker. He turned the soil and helped me weed. Then we pushed seeds into the earth and watered diligently. 

I was excited to watch the cucumber plants grow next to the basil, peppers, and tomatoes. I let myself start dreaming of Tomato Basil Bisque and tender layers of Eggplant Parmigiana with my Italian tomato ragù and melted mozzarella cheese on top. I actually got a good little crop of veggies over the weeks that followed. 

Everything was producing — except for the eggplant. The plant itself shot up and pale purple flowers bloomed on the sturdy-looking branches. But weeks and weeks went by with no eggplants, just pretty flowers. No fruit was to be found even though the plant climbed upwards and outwards in my backyard planter box.

Finally, I did the thing any amateur gardener would do. I asked Dr. Google for advice. Scrolling through different gardening sites, I discovered eggplants are primarily wind-pollinated, so very hot or still days can prevent them from bearing fruit. Sometimes the plants go into survival mode and won’t produce fruit at all when it’s too hot to save their nutrients.

Then I read a “hot internet tip” that I could gently shake the stems of the plants to help instigate pollination. Apparently, shaking the plant can help pollen fall from the anthers to the pistils. I went outside several mornings in a row and shook the stems of those plants. It seemed a little far-fetched but I had nothing to lose. And maybe this would get me one step closer to that Eggplant Parmigiana I dreamed of making.

Do you know what happened? 

The following week I went out to see how the eggplants were doing and there were three plump, shiny-royal purple eggplants ready for picking.

Sometimes God’s creation preaches the most surprising sermons. Even though I’m a novice gardener, the metaphor was not lost on me. Sometimes we need a little shaking up to prompt us to flourish in the calling God has for us. 

If we go digging in the garden of the book of Esther, we see that’s true in her life too. In Esther 4, Mordecai shakes Esther from her sheltered palace life with news about an edict to exterminate the Jews. Queen Esther probably didn’t know about the plot produced by the evil Haman. He was ultimately irritated by her cousin Mordecai because he wouldn’t bow down to Haman. Then Haman allows his anger to escalate into punishing all of the Jews.

Mordecai, who was like a father figure to the orphaned Esther, challenges her to leverage her position and stand up for her people: 

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:13-14 NIV 

Esther sends these weighty words to Mordecai in return: 

“Then I will go to the king though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
Esther 4:16 NIV

In these words, we see Queen Esther rise up with agency to step into her calling. Prior to this, Mordecai had always guided her, but now the queen begins to lead in her own way. She even urges Mordecai to gather the Jews in Susa to fast for three days as she considers her next move. The hidden hand of God is working in Esther and in these circumstances to rescue His people. 

Friend, I wonder if there’s something in your life that God is shaking or shining a light on today. Is there something He is calling you to do or say, or someone He is prompting you to reach out to or serve? Take some time to pray, bring your fears and hesitations to Him, and step up with courage “for such a time as this.”

Dorina helps people feast on the glory of God through her Bible studies and weekly Glorygram.

Leave a Comment