The Garden
Gardens are beautiful. They come in all shapes and sizes and can be found anywhere and everywhere. There are gardens full of flowers and herbs and gardens overflowing with fruits and vegetables. The gardener is the creator of whatever is planted in the soil. He or she gets to create a work of art!
As you might already know, I dream of having a garden one day. I consider myself a “level one gardener" though because I plant in pots and pray that it grows! I am always inspired by whatever is planted.
I have some friends who are very passionate about gardening. It's intriguing to listen to them talk about plants and the health benefits of gardening. Their knowledge and expertise have sparked the start of a garden club in our church. The club isn’t just for veteran gardeners; it’s for anybody who has (or dreams of having) a green thumb. Everyone is welcome to the garden club. I love that!
One thing is always true about gardens and that is the biblical principle of what you sow is what you will reap. Gardens also require daily maintenance like weeding and watering. It’s a process of tending and overseeing growth to ensure each plant thrives. The garden is really a place of transformation and just like seeds that are planted in soil to grow and flourish, we too can grow and flourish when we are planted and rooted in Jesus. Here’s a promise from God’s word:
Psalm 92:13-15 says:
“Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing to declare that the Lord is upright;”
Adam and Eve lived and walked in the first sanctuary. It was the garden of Eden. The garden was the place where God walked and talked with them. Think about how peaceful and beautiful that must have been. Everything was thriving and lush. This sanctuary was a place where God communed with Adam and Eve.
There is an old hymn called In the Garden. You may be familiar with it. It talks about being in the garden with Jesus. There is joy as we walk and talk with the Lord. Let’s read a few stanzas together:
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing…
There is one garden that we all get to tend to every day. That’s the garden of our hearts. We decide what is planted and what grows there. You see, if we aren’t careful, the garden of our hearts can be deceived by things that don’t immediately affect us. However, later on, unhealthy and poisonous root systems will emerge that can damage the soil of our hearts. The poison of bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, lust, offense will choke the life out of our garden.
Healthy things cannot thrive alongside unhealthy things. Weeds will overtake healthy plants. We cannot reach our potential or achieve what we were created for if we don’t tend to the weeds in our gardens.
I am thankful that we have the Holy Spirit to help uproot and weed out the things that are unhealthy and poisonous to our hearts. I am thankful for this Living Water so that I can thrive. The Holy Spirit gives me eyes to see and ears to hear so that I can tend to growing good fruit.
How can we do this? It starts with a prayer. I love how David prayed in Psalms 139:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”
King David was an open book! He gave God full search access to his heart. David wanted to be examined by God and gave Himpermission to expose things so that he could be right with the Lord.
Full surrender and full access. Even when things don’t look pretty, and they might be a hot mess, Jesus comes and sits with us and helps us right where we are at. Isn’t that beautiful? Jesus is the only one we need. He is the only one who can transform our lives and make us whole and healthy.
“…Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:5
The Lord has GOOD things planned and satisfies our mouths with GOOD things.
Green thumbs or not, we are all gardeners when it comes to the heart. It’s up to each of us to watch what flows and grows from it.
The beautiful part in all of this is similar to my church’s garden club. We are not alone in our tending. The Master Gardener is walking and talking with us along the way. Be encouraged that there is guidance, knowledge and wisdom given to those who want their gardens to thrive and flourish. That promise and invitation is open to anyone or anybody!
