My Green Thumb

 

Cucumbers

 

I have doubted for many years that I have a green thumb, but last year I was pleased with the fruit of my garden, so this year I have expanded.

Dill

I failed a few times in the past, my husband had even banned me from trying a garden again, but last year I decided to try yet again!  I decided I must start small and if I succeeded, I could expand from there.  So I tried just one container with 2 tomato plants and a few basil plants. I used a mixture of potting soil and cotton compost. I had more basil than I knew what to do with and many, many delicious tomatoes.

Jalapeno and Bell Peppers

Since I succeeded, this year expansion was in order. I have heard such good things about mushroom compost and wanted to use it last year, but I waited too late and the stores sold out. This year I bought some and I have to say, I think my plants are liking it better than the cotton compost.

Cilantro

I have six containers this year, one for dill, one for pickling cucumbers, one for basil, one for cilantro, one for tomatoes (with marigolds to keep away the bugs), and one for a bell pepper plant and a jalapeno pepper plant.

Brandywine Heirloom Tomatoes

I planted a pumpkin seed in the yard for fun, but it has died. Perhaps it had something to do with being passed over by the lawn mower! Oh well, we’ll try again next year. We also planted a couple of sunflower seeds for the kids.

Basil

I encountered aphid infestation on my pepper plants a few nights ago. I am going to buy a bar of Kirk’s Coco Castile soap and make this recipe to ward them off. In the meantime, I dabbed some Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds on them. They have died and I’ve only seen a couple since then, but I’m quite sure my dilution was too strong, the leaves have brown blotches on them now. Overall the plants still look healthy, I think they will recover.

Marigolds in with my tomatoes

I will be sure and post my harvest results later in the year.

 

Here is another picture of my cucumbers.  I have strung up some jute twine to some nails in the overhang of my roof so the cucumbers can climb.

Jute Trellis

Slipping Away

I’m embarrassed to admit, but here goes–I caught myself slipping away from the very thing I preach, the very thing I deem most important, trusting in God for my health.  Read my two articles on that, here and here.

 

Don’t misunderstand me here, I have not fallen away from the faith.  I believe in healing, I believe it is God’s will that we live in health, I believe His Word.  But I realized in these last few weeks that I had become like Peter, when he stepped out of the boat to walk on the water and then looked around at the storm, and started to sink.  I found myself looking all around at my vitamins, at each thing I was eating, trying to figure things out on my own–and I felt myself sinking.  (Read the story of Peter walking on the water here.)

 

I actually caught myself EXPECTING to feel bad every day!  This is SO not like me.  I am a very upbeat, positive person, but anyone can slip in this area.  That is why I wanted to write this word of warning, so that others will be aware and watch out for this pitfall.  And the more you learn about health, the more likely you are to get caught in this pitfall!

 

I have explained some of the physical issues I’ve dealt with these last 11 months, here and here.  Lately, headaches and exhaustion were added to the mix, along with the dizzy spells trying to creep back.  I am taking many, many supplements daily and keeping close tabs on what I eat.  I was keeping a food diary to try to track how I felt after eating each type of food.  I cut sugar out for 2 months.  I did an experiment with dairy and was even starting to think I should cut out gluten (NOT a pleasant thought!).  Was I eating too many carbs?  Was I drinking enough water?  Should I switch from raw Holstein milk, to raw Jersey milk?  Questions filled my mind constantly!  Each time I would open a pill bottle (I do this three times a day), I would have thoughts of anxiousness that I might run out of pills before I could order more.  I found myself obsessing about MYSELF, every minute of the day!  That is exactly what the devil wants!

 

You heard me right, there is a devil and he is your enemy!  One day I woke up (literally and figuratively) and remembered the verse, II Corinthians 10:3-4, “For though I walk in the flesh, I do not war against the flesh, for the weapons of my warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”  Even though we have physical bodies and live in a physical world, there is a spiritual world that we cannot see and spiritual forces at work.  But we, as Christians, have a weapon that is not physical (prayer and God’s Word), it is mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.  Headaches and exhaustion are strongholds.  Depression and anxiety are strongholds.  Obsession is a stronghold.  Jesus said that He came to bring us an abundant life.  An abundant life is a life FREE from strongholds!

 

Do you want to be FREE from strongholds?  Then you have got to place your trust in God and His Word.  Find out what His Word has to say about your health and about healing.  Stand on those promises.  I posted the above verse on my bathroom mirror, so that I would have a constant reminder of it.

 

We can eat right and take our supplements, but we are human and no human is perfect.  I believe we actually must get to a point where we admit that we could NEVER get it 100% right–admit that THE only way we will live in health is by the grace of God and the power of Jesus Christ!  We must never take our eyes off of the Lord (like Peter did), He is our source of health.  Don’t look at your vitamins as your source of health.  Don’t look at your organics as your source of health.  Don’t look at your grass-fed meat as your source of health.  Learn about making healthy choices, take your babysteps, but don’t try to figure everything out.  Give your burdens to God, He cares for you.  I Peter 5:7  If you want to learn more about this, check out my other blog, here.

 

If you have slipped, like I did, recognize the slip and move on, don’t beat yourself over the head.  Get your health priorities right again–spiritual first, mental second, and physical third.  I am excited to tell you that at the moment I got my priorities right, at the moment the truth of II Corinthians 10:3-4 really sunk down into my heart, I was free from the headaches, exhaustion, and dizziness!  I am still taking my vitamins and still taking babysteps in my eating, but I am no longer worrying about things, no longer obsessing like I was, I am feeling great again!

 

You may enjoy reading these past articles of mine:

My Purpose and My Prayer

Peripherals