Rock Garden

Kermit the Frog once lamented in song, “It’s not easy being green.” That crooning Muppet had a point. Recently, I had a geo-thermal heating and cooling system installed at the house. It was part of my contribution toward going “green” and reducing my need for fossil fuel, but it wasn’t so easy. First, there was the large initial expense of the equipment, which will pay for itself over time, and secondly, the yard was turned into a lunar landscape. Installing the equipment in the house was simple and minimally disruptive compared to the outside work which involved digging a trench ten feet wide by eight feet deep by four hundred and fifty feet long through clay and sandstone. Nearly one half mile of heat exchange tubing was buried in the yard. All but the final grading work was completed in one day. The final grading work and landscaping was scheduled for completion the following week, subject to the weather. As it went, more rain fell over the following two weeks than had fallen the entire summer.

The yard and stockpiled topsoil were so saturated, that four weeks after the dig, an old rusty Ford tractor that was used to re-grade the yard sank to its axles just outside the patio doors of the family room. Only a month earlier, I had assured my wife that there would be a thick and green lawn before the snow came. I thought long and hard to find a way to put a positive slant on all of it. Absolutely nothing came to mind.

The weather eventually cooperated, and with a combination of sunny skies, cooler temperatures, and another tractor to pull the first tractor free, the dirt finally began to dry and take shape. While I waited for better weather, I gathered up several large piles of sandstone rocks that were unearthed during the excavating. I collected them by hand so I could use them for landscaping projects. The more rocks I gathered, the more rocks I noticed. Additional rain showers exposed even more rocks. And to top it off, when my friend brought his tractor back to do a final “drag” to smooth everything out so I could put down the grass seed, a bumper crop of sticks and stones sprouted. At that point, I began hand raking the rocks from the yard - one half acre total. Fall was fading and winter was fast approaching. It was soon the time of year when evening temperatures were routinely below the freezing point, and raking was becoming more difficult. With a final push to get seed onto the ground, I enlisted the help of my kids. As they helped me, each asked, “Dad, why do we need to get all the rocks out of the yard? Why don’t you just turn the yard into a rock garden?”

I explained to each of them that it was important to get as many of the rocks removed so the new lawn wouldn’t be patchy and painful to walk on with bare feet. I went on to tell them that I wanted to give the seeds the best possible conditions so the grass would grow thick, establish good roots, and stay healthy. After eight weeks of earthwork and root and rock picking, my hands were blistered, my shoulders were sore and my back ached. After eight weeks and one day – before any seeds were put down - it snowed, and it hasn’t stopped since. It’s not easy going “green,” and it’s not easy getting green; but spring is coming and all of the soil is ready for seed.

The idea of optimal soil conditions isn’t a new idea at all. Jesus talks about soil conditions in the story about a farmer scattering seeds (Matt 13:1-23). He didn’t intend for His words to be a farming lesson; most of His audience that day already knew about the importance of proper soil conditions. Rather, Jesus used the illustration to draw attention to the condition of the human heart. The ultimate point of the story, found in the last verse, is that good soil (soil that is free of weeds and rocks) represents the hearts of those who truly accept God’s message and produce a huge harvest.

When my kids (and even my wife) asked me to settle for rocky ground in the yard, I realized that I have asked the same of my Heavenly Father. I have asked Him, “Why do you need to get all the rocks (pride, fear, anger, etc.) out of my heart? Why don’t you just make a rock garden out of it?” His reply is always the same. He wants all of the rocks out, so the truths of His word that He is planting in my heart will grow thick, establish good roots, stay healthy, and produce a great harvest – thirty, sixty, or even a hundredfold.

I have come to know, that God will expose and remove the rocks that remain in my heart. I might settle, but He won’t settle for a rock garden; He has far better plans for me. He has far better plans for you too.

Grace to you.

Dave Paukner