Matthew 6 25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat? Or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Scarlet Hope day program recently started “Gardens of Hope” at the house. The goal is to enhance the quality of life for the ladies by providing a therapeutic environment in the garden. They spent an afternoon getting the dirt ready for seeds to be planted, talking about the many benefits of growing crops and getting their hands a little dirty! This garden will benefit the ladies, their families and the community in multiple ways. Spending time with nature, giving nutritional value, and helping with the grocery bill are just a few ways it will help their day to day life. This garden will also be one way the ladies give back to the community, as they will be donating crops to local companies and organizations like Scarlet’s Bakery. We asked a few ladies, their children, and Scarlet Hope interns to explain the experience for us so you can hear the excitement first hand.
One of the day program participants said, “This is something I have never experienced before. It was so refreshing even though I was hesitant to get my hands in the dirt. Being locked-up on and off for years made me appreciate nature on a new level. This garden will also help my family so much eating healthy and our grocery bill. We are planting seeds to grow just like Scarlet Hope has planted seeds in us to grow in Christ.”
The daughter of one of the ladies in our program said, “It was so funny playing in the dirt and planting lots of seeds. We can’t wait to see them grow!”
The interns said, “One of the ladies was totally in her element and it was so great seeing her take on a leadership role, helping the others learn how to garden. This was her first time gardening as well and she loved learning with the ladies as sisters. More than once she heard them saying it was great to learn something new.”
