{"id":13986,"date":"2026-03-10T08:53:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T08:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/a-lone-watermelon-reminded-her-to-let-go-and-let-god\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T09:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:34:08","slug":"a-lone-watermelon-reminded-her-to-let-go-and-let-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/angels-and-miracles\/angels\/a-lone-watermelon-reminded-her-to-let-go-and-let-god\/","title":{"rendered":"A Lone Watermelon Reminded Her to Let Go and Let God"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was beyond frustrated one day last summer when I walked out to the patch of fertile land that had once given us a bumper crop of watermelons and I found it barren. Not a shoot to be seen after all the work I\u2019d put in. I was doing everything I could to repeat the success we\u2019d had, and it just wasn\u2019t enough. Still I kept at it, determined to make the patch grow again.<\/p>\n

My husband, John, and I had inherited our property two years earlier. We rented out most of it for wheat fields, keeping enough land near the house for the cattle we raised. They loved the watermelon rinds we tossed over the fence into their pasture. And in summers past we\u2019d had no shortage. I\u2019d picked the perfect spot for our homegrown patch, where God would provide lots of sunlight while I worked in plenty of compost and watered regularly. I gave that garden my all<\/a>. What more could I do to make it grow this summer?<\/p>\n

I went inside to tell John the garden remained an utter failure and went off to the supermarket in a funk. I rolled up and down the aisles and tossed a box of detergent into my cart to drop off at my son\u2019s apartment. It wasn\u2019t just the melons that had me feeling helpless. My 29-year-old son had struggled with a narcotic addiction<\/a> since he was a teenager. At each of the rehab facilities he entered, I prayed that we\u2019d find an answer. When he moved from his latest rehab into sober living, I dropped in with groceries, took him out to lunch. I\u2019d convinced myself I\u2019d solved the problem, only to find out I hadn\u2019t. He\u2019d left the sober living house and was now renting an apartment I\u2019d agreed to pay for\u2014even though I was sure he was still using drugs. Sometimes it seemed as if the only time I wasn\u2019t worrying about my son was when I was worrying about those watermelons. I was just trading one failure for another.<\/p>\n

I turned my cart into the fruit aisle, where rows of bright green watermelons were waiting. I surrender<\/i>, I thought, loading a big one into my cart. I vowed to stop tending the unyielding soil. That would give me more time to concentrate on finding a solution for my son\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not fresh from the garden, but\u2026\u201d I said to John when I cut into the watermelon that evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind,\u201d John said, crunching into a slice. \u201cI\u2019m sure the cattle won\u2019t either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we\u2019ll never know what went wrong this summer,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember that first year?\u201d We\u2019d harvested enough watermelons to feed the whole county. John laughed, always happy to hear me talk about something other than his stepson, no matter how much he loved him. My other two children felt the same. They didn\u2019t let their brother\u2019s choices consume them. But how could a mother do that?<\/p>\n

After dinner, I went out and tossed the watermelon rinds over the fence. They landed a few feet from the cattle guard that ran along the ground to keep the herd from wandering out of the pasture. The animals would find the rinds easily. \u201cBon app\u00e9tit,\u201d<\/i> I called.<\/p>\n

I picked up another watermelon from the supermarket later that week. It felt a little freeing, so I went for a facial to take in a measure of peace<\/a>. It was short-lived. \u201cI know I shouldn\u2019t be giving him any money,\u201d I found myself sighing to the aesthetician. \u201cBut part of me still sees him as a little boy whose heart is hurting. He needs\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLady,\u201d she said, \u201cwhat you<\/i> need to do is stop focusing on your son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not good for him or you,\u201d she said, not unkindly. \u201cA good friend of mine is a therapist who specializes in your situation. I\u2019m going to give you her number.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was pretty stunned by her bluntness, but her words rang true. I called the therapist as soon as I left the salon. I was a little nervous when I arrived at my first appointment, but soon I looked forward to our regular summer sessions. My therapist introduced me to Al-Anon<\/a>, where I met other people who had addicts in their lives. I learned that by financially and emotionally enabling my son to continue in his lifestyle, I might have been keeping him locked in his struggles. Al-Anon encouraged me to admit that while I was powerless to change my son, God wasn\u2019t. I had to put my son\u2019s future in his hands.<\/p>\n

The advice made sense. That didn\u2019t mean I could do it. \u201cSurrendering a watermelon patch is much easier than surrendering a child,\u201d I told John over yet another lunchtime conversation I\u2019d monopolized. John got up to check on the herd. Maybe I just can\u2019t let go<\/i>, I thought as I cleared the table.<\/p>\n

Before I was done, John called me outside. \u201cYou won\u2019t believe what I found,\u201d he said, leading me toward the fence where we tossed our rinds. \u201cLook.\u201d He pointed to a thick green vine snaking through the overgrown grass. \u201cI followed it and\u2026\u201d The vines led under the cattle guard. Wedged underneath was an enormous watermelon. \u201cA seed must have fallen from the rinds,\u201d John said.<\/p>\n

And just sprouted out here all on its own. The ground in this area wasn\u2019t prepared for growth. Not like the patch I\u2019d worked so hard all year in my attempt to will my watermelons into existence. Gazing at the unlikely miracle in the tangled grass, I considered my own journey. I\u2019d done everything humanly possible to help my son. Except release him. Only God could make good things grow when all seemed hopeless.<\/p>\n

John unloosed the watermelon from the cattle guard, and I carried the melon inside. God, I am powerless over my son\u2019s future. I wholly entrust his care to you.<\/i> I would not get in the way of the miracles he had in store. A weight lifted from my shoulders as I set the melon on the table<\/a>. I was finally ready to have a hard and honest talk with my son.<\/p>\n

On days I still found myself wanting to backslide, I had the support I needed and the faith to stand firm. My son knew I was here for him when he was ready to get sober. I had prepared the ground and scattered plenty of seeds, and now I would let go and let God relieve my son\u2019s heartache\u2014and mine.<\/p>\n

For more angelic stories, subscribe to <\/em>Angels on Earth<\/strong><\/a> magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was beyond frustrated one day last summer when I walked out to the patch of fertile land that had once given us a bumper crop of watermelons and I found it barren. Not a shoot to be seen after all the work I\u2019d put in. 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