Victory Gardens

Most often today when we think of gardens we think of pleasant scenes of flowers, scenic greenery, lush grass and stoic trees. But now country folks when talking of their gardens will speak of tomatoes, peas, beans, corn, squash, greens and so on. It seems more and more folks today are urbanized and think of those things only in terms of the produce department in the grocery store. Most of us back "in the day" would have starved if not for home gardens.
I recall as a child going to the "garden" with my Grandmother. My Grandfather plowed a large area just to the west of the old home place, and she tilled it daily to reap wonderful vegetables of all kinds which she spent many hours in the hot kitchen canning. It seems that my grandparents, in the name of survival had already discovered the joy of the garden before WWII ever set in.
However, as the war spread in the early '40s and it became more and more important to call more of the labor source into active service and much transportation had to be diverted to war effort, the government rationed foods like sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat and canned goods. Labor and transportation shortages made it hard to harvest and move fruits and vegetables to market.

Therefore the government turned to its citizens and encouraged them to plant "Victory Gardens." They wanted individuals to provide their own fruits and vegetables. Wessels Living History Farms reports that nearly 20 million Americans answered the call. They planted gardens in backyards, empty lots and even city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives, all in the name of patriotism. Fruit and vegetables harvested in these home and community plots was estimated to be 9-10 million tons, an amount equal to all commercial production of fresh vegetables. So, the program made a difference.
Ya know, life is kinda like that too! If we have "victory" in our lives we cultivate, plant, and grow our own spiritual life giving produce! Seems like I remember somewhere someone saying, "Whatsoever you sow, that shall you also reap!" I think it not strange that when Paul spoke of our Victory Garden, he spoke of its produce as the "Fruit of the Spirit!"
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." --- Galatians 5:22
Does what we are growing in our garden of life qualify our life as a "Victory Garden?"
Our fruit does not give us salvation, that is by grace alone; however our fruit does enhance the quality of our life and just may cause our neighbors to want to borrow some of our seed!!!
Plant the right thing in our lives and we get the right results!!

"Every good tree bears good fruit..." --- Jesus Christ