By Alvin Mlambo
My wife and I are both products of the Suburbs. Though we grew up in different cities on opposite sides of the country there are stark similarities in the respective stories of our upbringings. None of the similarities, however, involved agriculture. Grudgingly watering my father’s immaculately tenured flower garden after being instructed to do so while Voltron or He-man were bashing bad guys on TV was the closest I ever got to any kind of agrarian experience. I had zero interest in working with dirt and that feeling did not change well into my adulthood. I had always wanted to become a doctor, heart surgeon to be exact and honestly getting dirt under my fingernails was incongruent with this plan. I was a city boy through and through and was proud of it. My wife’s life path was not much different. She always felt she was a vanguard of humanity and all she ever wanted was to be a human rights lawyer. There were no green fingers on her end either. As the old Yiddish proverb goes, “We plan, God laughs.”
My wife is a no-nonsense person who rarely suffers foolishness or mediocrity. She has very high standards for herself, and these extend to just about every facet of her life. Some time ago, she trusted me enough to go shopping without her. This turned out to be a big mistake on her part as my purchases were way below her standards. The vegetable stand I had bought the kale from had pulled a fast one and cleverly hid the yellow and dying leaves in the center of some thick and healthy ones. And she was so looking forward to that kale. After I issued a plethora of apologies, she vowed never to purchase her precious kale from anonymous suppliers. Though I was relieved that the blame did not lay squarely on my shoulders, I still wondered what exactly her words meant. The weeks that followed would soon put an end to the wonder.
It started with one bucket of soil. Then it became 2 buckets. The next thing I knew, she had repurposed one of my book containers. What was once the home of my encyclopedias, Stephen King and Ray Bradbury novel collections was now home to little African kale seedlings. Given the fact that we stayed on the second floor of an apartment building, I decided to lay down the law. Being an ever-pragmatic person, I tried to talk my wife down. While stating the obvious that our modest apartment had no room for potted plants, let alone an entire garden, how on earth did she think that this would ever be a meaningful endeavour? Throughout what I believed to be a practical delivery she kept giving me that please-just-get-to-the-end look. When I was done, she simply waved me off like she was waving an annoying fly and walked off. I had been with my wife long enough to know that once she had her mind set on something, she would pursue it with dogged determination, reality, and contrary evidence be damned. This time, however, I was certain this was one for the “loss” column. So, I waited. I waited for her to come crawling back to me tears on her face, kissing my feet, telling me I was right all along. That day never came.
She turned our little balcony into a green wonderland that she worked hard and lovingly on. She went out shopping for seeds and researched soil fertility, optimum watering levels, and organic farming techniques. Then after 9 weeks of blood, sweat, and love, it was time to taste the fruit of her labours. From the minute I had the first mouthful, I was converted. Hallelujah, she made me a believer. From then I was a devoted member of her garden brigade. I would diligently help with the watering, weeding, and tending to our second family. After seeing and tasting the success of her kale project, she decided to broaden her horizons. The next project she decided to tackle was a tomato plantation.
Given the triumph of the kale garden, which was driven by sheer concentrated power of will, we (yes, we) believed that the tomato garden would be just as successful. So, we kicked off the project by acquiring more containers and different varieties of tomato seeds. We would water the garden every day, remove the weeds, fertilize, talk to the bare soil, and pray over it. Then we started seeing signs of life. It Started with one little green shoot appearing from the soil. Then there were two, then three. Next thing you know, our containers were full of little green shoots. we celebrated as we looked at them and marvelled at how fast they were growing. We believed that this was the start of great things. We envisioned ourselves on our 90,000-hectare farm with Sunflower, Soya beans, Ginger, Maize, Garlic, Poultry, dairy, and even a fishery. When we dream, we dream big and in colour.
After much love, care, and attention, our little babies started flowering. That is when the celebrations really started. But in the deepest recesses of my mind, I had an itch I could not satisfy. Like an irritation in the small of your back that you cannot quite reach. I shoved it down and concentrated on the project at hand. We convinced ourselves that if we did it successfully with the kale then success is inevitable with the tomato. And soon we would see the literal fruits of our labour. We took pictures and kept a visual diary of our plants progress. We loved them like they were our children. But amid all the revelry the itch would not let me go. The flowers didn’t really look…well…tomato-ish. In the throes of agrarian ecstasy neither one of us had bothered to do any real research. Thanks to the convenience of modern technology, I decided to do a Google image search. Though there were some similarities, our plants looked quite different from tomato plants on the internet. So, I took a pic of our plants and visited Google once more. Much to our disappointment we were informed that instead of tomatoes, what we had was a flourishing bed of a plant called the “Gallant Soldier.” We had been deceived. We dug up the whole bed and wondered what had happened to our tomato seeds. We had poured so much into false promises.
This episode got me thinking. As Christians we must discern between genuine blessings from God and false blessings offered by the deceitful schemes of Satan. While God's blessings lead us closer to Him and fulfill His purpose for our lives, false blessings from Satan often divert our attention and waste our time on fleeting pursuits. Scripture warns us of Satan's tactics, describing him as a cunning adversary who disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). One of his primary strategies is to present counterfeit blessings that mimic the true blessings of God. These false blessings may appear appealing and promising on the surface, but their ultimate purpose is to lead us away from God's will and distract us from His plan for our lives. False blessings can take the form of distractions that consume our time and energy without contributing to our spiritual growth or serving God's kingdom.
So how do we discern between genuine blessings from God and false blessings from Satan? The key lies in seeking God's wisdom and aligning our desires with His will. We got a bit sidetracked by prioritizing our desire to take methods of production into our own hands. There was nothing wrong with this in and of itself, but we simply prayed to God to bless our efforts without asking if indeed our desires were aligned to his purpose for us. Additionally, we must cultivate a mindset focused on eternal values rather than temporary pleasures. By prioritizing God's kingdom and His righteousness above all else (Matthew 6:33), we can resist the allure of false blessings and experience the abundant life that God promises to those who follow Him faithfully.
In conclusion, dear reader, let us be vigilant in discerning between genuine blessings from God and false blessings from Satan. After deep reflection, my wife and I prayed and meditated on some soul-searching questions. If indeed God was to bless us with the farm how then do we avoid cultivating 90 000 hectares of gallant soldiers? we prioritized God's will above our desires and remained steadfast in pursuing His kingdom. Today her second-floor balcony garden boasts kale, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, okra, some struggling pumpkin plants, and 5 avocado trees in buckets. Knowing that His blessings far surpass any counterfeit blessings that the enemy may offer, we will overcome.