Tending Your Garden
By the time winter has just about worn me out with long, dark days and vacant scenery, spring bursts forth. I anxiously head outdoors to sink my gloved-hands into the earth. Digging in the dirt, as I call it, is one of my favorite activities. I thoroughly enjoy tending my gardens and I savor the afternoons spent pulling weeds and proudly inspecting my hard work. The familiar ache of muscles that have spent the dark months slumbering is a welcome reminder of renewal.
As I work my gardens throughout the growing season I visit with the Lord, thanking Him for the indescribable beauty of His creation ~ the details in every flower, the proliferation of vegetables that sprouts from a single seed, the intricacy of a butterfly’s wings, the delicate balance and deliberate order of nature. I am awed by the sacredness of it all! If I am troubled, I bring it to the Lord as I kneel, plucking invasive weeds from the soil that threaten to choke-out my precious plants. If my heart is especially heavy, tears may mingle with the sweat on my face, releasing and relieving a torrent of pain as I cry out to my Father.
Tending marriage is much like tending a garden. When a garden is carefully and attentively tended, it will produce abundant fruit and sweet-scented flowers. Critters will find shelter and nourishment among the plots, and insects will carry pollen to other gardens, enriching them as well. If consistent attention is withheld, weeds will invade and quickly overtake desirable crops. Necessary sunshine and
nutrients will be absorbed by the weeds, and desired vegetation will be suffocated. Much anticipated fruit or flowers will never appear, and satisfaction will be exchanged for disappointment.
Likely, there will be times in life when we neglect our garden. Sometimes situations will arise that requires our focus to shift temporarily to helping someone in crisis. Other times an illness or injury may leave us unable to function at full capacity. During these times, weeds take root and threaten to overwhelm what we’ve carefully cultivated. As soon as we are able, we roll up our sleeves, get back into the garden with hoe in hand, and aggressively reclaim lost ground.
An especially lazy, uncommitted gardener will surrender his crops to invading species, abandoning what he started. When the days grow long and hot, he will forsake his garden for the comfort of air-conditioning, making the conscious choice to relinquish his tender seedlings to indifference. He will never know the joy of reaping the prolific fruits of his labor. When others are savoring the produce brought forth by diligence, he will seek pity, complaining that he is unfairly forced to go without.
A fruitful garden requires much effort and perseverance. There will be difficulties and setbacks. Drought or destructive insects and animals may threaten the success of your crops. Tend your garden and prepare to enjoy a bountiful harvest!
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“Gardens are not made by singing, 'Oh, how beautiful!', and sitting in the shade.”
~ Rudyard Kipling