How does your garden grow?
Linda Soller | Jul 16, 2012
Seventeen years ago when we purchased our home I was most excited about the garden. The previous owners had obviously been yard people and the cover of Better Homes and Gardens had nothing on my yard. The plants were healthy, they were planted to complement each other, and the yard had a beautiful undulating edge, I thought it would be wonderful to wake each day and look out on such a yard. About two weeks after moving in, with boxes still to open, renovations under way inside the house, the children back in school and me still working full time I was struck with the harsh realization that this beautiful garden required tending. Did I mention we did not have a gardener? For years we worked feverishly to stay ahead of our garden. We spent endless hours weeding and mulching. Each spring it was a guessing game as to whether that green sprout was a good thing or a weed. We often made the wrong choice. We had a free consultation from a landscape designer who made us feel a little better when he said the previous owners knew their stuff (obviously we didn’t) but to get the look they wanted they had not always planted for the long term. It was his way of telling me I was not solely responsible for the demise of our beautiful garden. Gradually we have worked to scale back, go with native plants, and appreciate what remains with an eye to the long term. We get help now and then, but still wish we could do better. When I look at the 4 pages of planting notes from the previous owner I fondly remember those first two weeks.
I think faith is much like a garden. When it is new and fresh it feels like we only need to gently water it and make sure it gets some sun. We may go to Church, attend Bible Study now and then, pray when we remember, and read our Bible once in a while. We can be lured in to thinking that after that first planting; the work is over. But like a garden, our faith needs our attention. God puts us in the place he needs us to be surrounded by people who are there to support us and who also need our support. WE complement each other. He gives us rays of sun to make us smile and feel good. He brings us moments of tranquility like gentle rain that refresh us and provide us with strength to move forward. But the world is full of influences that challenge our gardens, long dry spells, blistering heat, and plant devouring deer! If we do not nurture our garden of faith it will struggle and may not survive. Sometimes we may need to take a new approach, recognize what comes naturally and build our faith back to its former glory or better yet make it even better. Our faith may ebb and flow with the seasons, but the roots are deep. God is a masterful gardener and he will not give up on any single plant in his garden. God even loves the weeds. Your challenge is to think of your garden of faith as you look out your window at nature. How does your garden grow? Have a great week :o)
Linda