God grows me as I tend my place in Creation.

Prayer of Azariah 44-46

Bless the Lord, fire and heat;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, dews and falling snow;
   sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

I can hardly believe we have just six weeks left of actual summer on the calendar. And yet, the tomatoes demanding to be dealt with prove this is true, as does the parade of school supply photos and back to school outfits in my social media newsfeed. On top of this, Mr. Jones and I have added six laying hens to our growing menagerie of animals out on Makeshift Farms.

We’ve been planning and preparing for these ladies since we moved in over a year ago, and just this weekend we’re able to pick them up and bring them home. I’m so excited I can hardly stand myself. It’s a dangerous time of year for hens—foxes and raccoons and possums and all sorts of other hungry critters are entering their late summer feeding frenzy. I don’t begrudge them food for their little ones or a good layer of fat to help them through winter, but I’m not willing to offer up our hens for the cause. I imagine that if Jesus were telling me a parable to speak right to my understanding, he might talk about how chickens need a shepherd, too.

We’ve purchased a couple of decoys—a pretty fierce looking hawk and a creepy owl—to hang in the walnut trees. I’ll have fun time moving them around to try and fool the critters.

I’m so curious to learn about chickens up close and personal, to see how much all the reading we’ve done has really prepared us for the flesh and feather reality of taking good care of them. We’ve been advised to consider adding a rooster to our situation, but frankly, I don’t think the Lord wants me to be yelling at another creature the way I imagine I would yell at a rooster. Plus, I don’t think I’m ready to deal with tiny chickens until I’ve learned how to deal with the larger ones. What’s that old saw about chickens and counting?

During the last few months at work, I’ve been working on a project that delves deeply into the first two chapters of Genesis. I’ve spent a lot of time in God’s garden, and in my own this spring and summer. Every time we’ve pulled something off the vine or out of the ground, and even now as we contemplate our first eggs, my heart has leapt with joy. I’ve cried happy tears pulling weeds, promised my hollering back a dose of ibuprofen and quality time with an ice pack, and reveled in the tiny universe in my backyard.

To be able to participate with my husband, and God, and the beautiful earth we’ve been given to feed ourselves and share with our friends is a gift beyond belief. I know that not everyone has the ability or desire to do what we’re doing, but this venture has been one of the deepest joys of my life. It’s been a balm to my soul, helped me grow through my 30’s, and strengthened my faith in God in ways I never would have imagined.

Most often, I meet God in prayer with my worries and hurts and concerns. But when I dig in the dirt, when I listen to the murmur and coo and occasional squawk from our birds, thanks is the only prayer I can muster. I am constantly moved and encouraged by the miracles the earth offers up with just a little bit of encouragement. I think about the dirt that forms my heart, and I marvel at the miracles God works in my life every day.

Tiny squash, moments of forgiveness, massive tomatoes and pints of corresponding paste, perfect peace, and tire towers full of potatoes… summer is flying, the Spirit is moving. Day by day, we are becoming new creations as we grow in grace.

How is late summer in your place in Creation?