Do you notice anything about this cucumber? Does it look strange, different, odd, weird, or perhaps interesting? I thought about all those words when I found it hidden behind a thick cluster of tomato plants in my garden.
Because the tomatoes covered it, I did not see it when it
was still young and green. It remained there while I watered, weeded, and
harvested other vegetables nearby. Hidden from my view, it continued to mature
until its changing color finally caught my attention. By the time I reached
behind the tomatoes and pulled it out, it was obviously overripe.
I stood there wondering
what to do with it. My options seemed limited, and the easiest one was to throw
it away. After all, there were younger cucumbers to harvest. I could eat those
instead. This one appeared to have missed its useful moment.
But as I held it, I
began to reflect on the seasons when we feel just like that cucumber. Tired,
overworked, exhausted, worn out, or hidden behind circumstances that keep
others from seeing what is happening to us. Sometimes we feel as though we have
remained in a painful situation too long. We assume we have passed the point
where anything meaningful can come from our lives.
Yet God, our Husbandman and Shepherd, does not treat us as
disposable. He does not overlook the one who is exhausted, discouraged,
rejected, or ready to give up. He sees what is hidden. He reaches into the
places where life has become tangled and reminds us that being worn down is not
the same as being worthless.
The cucumber was no
longer what I originally expected to harvest, but that did not mean it had
nothing left to offer. Redemption often begins when someone looks beyond what
appears unusable and recognizes what can still be restored, learned, or planted
again.
Being past the season you expected does not place you beyond the reach of redemption.
Garden & Reflections offers a glimpse into the experiences
and everyday lessons that shape me beyond the therapy room. These personal
reflections are shared thoughtfully while honoring the professional boundaries
of the counseling relationship.