Learn From Your Failures

One of the goals that I have for ministry here is to have a garden. Initially that garden will yield produce for myself, but eventually I want it to become a community garden that can feed others.

On a day when someone cannot get money for food, they would be able to receive fruit or vegetables, as well as seeds so they can plant their own garden.

My plan for the garden is good….

My execution is terrible!!

I’ve tried to start the garden a number of times, but always end up failing. The first time the vegetables started to grow, but a chicken kept coming into my yard and uprooting them. The second time they started growing but get too much water. The third time my beloved Dog dug a massive hole beside the plants (still not sure why) and then dug up the seedlings themselves.

It was annoying when these failures took place

But they also taught me an important lesson.

Here animals such as dogs, cats, or chickens will commonly uproot the vegetables. So it is necessary to plant the seeds in an elevated place where they cannot get to them. This also ensures the seedlings get the proper amount of water, and sun.

So, I learned from my mistakes, and had a friend build me a basic elevated planting bed.

And next month I will get some seedling starter trays from America that allows me to grow the seeds in a controlled environment.

The thing about mistakes or failures is they are incredibly frustrating. But after the initial annoyance has worn off, we can usually learn a very important lesson from them. A lesson that allows us to do things better next time.

Think of the important lessons I learned from the failures of my garden

Don’t plant seeds right away without thinking things through
If an animal can get to the plants, they will
The environment for growing plants needs to be controlled (make sure they get right amount of water, and sun)
And too much of a good thing (like water) can be dangerous

so, every time I replant those seeds I get better.

Life is filled with setbacks and failures; nobody is successful at everything. The truly successful are those who study their failures, learn to adapt, and get better.