Balance in a Not-So-Brave New World

Yes, God's talking to me in the garden again. I ponder how He's set things up in the natural world, as it seems to speak to me about other worldly realms as well.

Today the talk was about being a control freak. Yes, I'm guilty of that! I need to watch myself, or I can easily try to control everything. Let's not let things get messy; let's just control everything and make it "manageable"!

There's something wrong with our tidy, well-controlled world though. As I think of how man and science can aspire to get rid of all the "glitches", mastering DNA manipulation and genetic challenges until we can potentially avoid all those glitches, my stomach sours. So we can assert a preemptive strike, avoiding the birth of any more Down's Syndrome kids (and other "undesirables"?) with a simple screening. I'm not sure that's a good thing. Ask a friend who has a special needs child; many of them will say that, even though it's challenging, they wouldn't have it any other way. At a recent fundraiser, I witnessed one "special" young man who determined he'd won the raffle prize of a jar of spaghetti and some pasta. As he circled the room waving his loot, he hooted for joy over his triumph. Oh, we should all be so enthusiastic!

As we try to get rid of the uncomfortable "irregularities" in society, we might consider the popularity of "Seed Saver" groups, intent on saving those almost-lost heirloom plants of yore. Before there were perfect-looking but bland tomatoes, there were irregularly shaped ones loaded with flavor. A few wise souls have realized: We need to save some of those ancient plants before they're bred out completely!

I've been a control freak in my own garden at times, keeping everything extra tidy, not letting any "outsiders" in (weeds and other proliferators). I thought the garden would be more easily managed that way. Something's lost though, when we try to control exactly what belongs and what doesn't. God's got a master plan, and He's got a perfect design. I suspect the Garden of Eden was a flourishing plethora of vegetation. There's a reason for everything. Yes, even certain weeds; you can sow a particular kind to improve various deficits in the soil. Those weeds have a purpose. The ones with long tap roots reach deep into the soil, extracting minerals that are often washed away from the topsoil. Certain weeds are more alkaline or acid producing, balancing out the soil's PH.

I've fancied growing Mahalia Poppies at one point; I later discovered that they need their own back 40 to grow wild in, as they can easily take over. So I have them growing wild on the back hill now. But even when I thought they might be a nuisance, I discovered they are a perfect addition to the compost pile. Gardeners who compost know that it's important to get plenty of oxygen into that pile; the Mahalia Poppy has a large, hollow stalk to add a sort of natural air vent when composted. Same is true of the stalks of sunflowers and borage (two more plants that can threaten to take over corners of the garden).

At times I was too vigilant in what could take up space in my garden. It was an elite club. I would add fine, rich kitchen scraps to the compost pile daily, imagining what a wonderful end product I'd eventually come up with. (Kitchen scraps come in abundant when you have your own eatery!) Funny thing, though- I had too much of a good thing. I needed other additions to make the compost pile balanced. I started letting borage and sunflowers and Mahalia Poppies go to seed in their favorite spots; I used the plentiful leftover plants when they were done growing, to add that drier fiber to the compost pile.

We can't get too smart and tidy and controlling; eventually we discover that we didn't know the master plan. We have to allow some things to have their space, even challenging or seemingly undesirable things. It's part of God's master plan.