A Lighter Way Week 9: Foreseen in Joy
Jul 18, 2026Reflection
I love to garden. When I put my hands in the soil, it’s a spiritual practice. For me, Mother Earth is more than a metaphor. Earth nurtures each seed that is sown and feeds them from her dark, peat-laced womb. Wendell Berry connects the soul of soil in his deeply spiritual poem about planting:
Whatever is foreseen in joy
Must be lived out from day to day
Vision held open in the dark. . .
This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems, 18
“Foreseen in joy”—these words tease me at odd times, but especially in spring when the bulbs and seeds I planted years before begin to once more appear and I am delighted, as I would be when greeting an old friend: “The blue woodland hyacinths! I put them in when I first was learning to garden, and now they are back again.” Sometimes. Sometimes the things I plant don’t come back or are mowed over or just die after sprouting. It’s all part of the intricate and often fickle-seeming organic process involved when dealing with a living creation. Life’s rhythm. Planting is a transformational act, an act of expectation (when things grow) and acceptance (when things don’t grow).
That's how I want to live my life—seeing all that I plant as an act of joy, accepting what doesn’t grow as part of the cycle. I want to step into the vision that’s larger than what I can see, and echoing Berry’s poem, I want to dwell in the rhythm of work, rest, and harvest.
Hope is the energy that drives me to sow seeds. I believe the “soil has a soul.” Each morning when I wake up to see what earth and air have conspired to bring forth, I stand with my mouth open and my arms wide, astonished in the new life the Holy has brought forth. I realize that the sacred seed begets sacred life, sparks of holiness growing in the weeds of the rocky Tennessee soil.
Practice & Invitation
Breathe, pray, meditate, rest, play, garden with "Grow" as a sacred word.
Focus on your good soil. God plants wonders in our open hearts.
Blessing
“May you know God’s Word and Love are rooted in you.”
This ninth reflection comes from Dr. Robbie Pinter, an instructor, mentor, and supervisor in Wisdom Tree Collective's School of Spiritual Direction. Learn more about Robbie: https://www.robbiepinter.com/
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