Digging In The Dirt - Planting By The Moon

Digging in the Dirt - Planting by the Moon

PATIENCE IS NOT one of my strong suits. Let me just say that now is never soon enough for me. So I was totally frustrated, at the age of about twenty-six, when my father all but forbade me to plant my garden on a given weekend (at the time I was living in the suburbs, so this was a semi-sissy garden).

With his Native American heritage, my dad believed in planting the garden by the moon. He carefully explained to me that even though that weekend might be convenient for me, planting then would not produce a bountiful crop. He insisted I wait until the second half of the first period when the moon would begin to wax toward the half-moon phase. Good grief! Are you kidding? I didn’t want to wait around for the moon to wax—I wanted to plant the garden now! The ground had been tilled; the seeds had been purchased; and the kids had been “farmed out” for the day (pun intended).

I was sure my dad was wrong. Just a few weeks after sowing them, the plants took off. I called my dad every few days to gloat about my gardening success and insisted that his planting by the moon was some old Indian wives’ tale that he needed to give up. Being the kind and patient father he was, he just replied, “We’ll see.” Days came and went. The plants shot up—deep leafy green. They blossomed—the squash were beautiful. And then, after a very short production cycle, they died. They had grown too quickly, never putting down the healthy, deep roots they needed to sustain them through the hot Texas summer.

Something similar happens in business and in our homes every day. We’re so excited to see results . . . to do something . . . to take action . . . that we pull the trigger on our plan before the timing is perfect. Even though the plan is right, the timing may not be.

For everything there is a season,a time for every activity under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

This is where an experienced mentor can be so helpful. Look for a sage advisor who can direct you and problem solve with you and remain objective about your performance. And don’t be so quick to dismiss those who have gone before you . . . they may know something about the moon that could increase your bounty. Are you a believer?