Maintaining the Garden’s in your life!
As spring prepares to come, and the birds will begin to fill the trees. The shrubs and trees will be full bloom and they will begin to produce their first fruits, and the call of the garden can be heard, “feed me, weed me, water me!” Yes, they are thirsty, hungry, looking for someone to care, plant and water them.
Like many, I so prepare for what the Lord has for us in this season. I am not a gardener in the natural, but one thing I do know is as I prepare, just as the spring prepares to enter, I am reminded that at times I must be ok with “re-seeding.” I must be ok with spending hours laying seed. I must be ok with spending hours watering. I don’t know if you ever felt this, but life at times can be like the bugs, and the birds, as the creatures of nature overwhelm the garden, so does life. In life, it can feel so frustrating, we plant, and we take care of and here comes life, and here we find ourselves “re-seeding.” In those time, I say “I don’t want to plant nothing else. I don’t want to water anything else. I am tired!”
Then God reminds me “Daughter gardens require a lot of attention and constant care if they are to bear fruit.” He begins to remind me of the care it takes to produce what is in the seed. As I read Galatians 5:22-23, He shares with me how the ground must be shown love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, and we must remain faithful, gentleness, and as a gardner we have to maintain show self-control with the ground.
Second, the gardener must first turn over the soil, add compost and fertilize the soil. Next it needs constant watering of the plants if the rains don’t come. Before the gardener even plants, much planning goes into the decisions of where each of the plants are to be placed. Each one must also be planted at the right depth and with adequate spacing between plants.
A good gardener then visits the garden daily to take care of the many needs of the plants. The gardener must pay attention to the state of the plants to discover pest activity, fungus, and other diseases early on. The gardener must spot threats and rid the garden of them before they destroy the fruit of his labor.
The garden must be continually weeded and watered during the heat of summer. The plants must be given adequate nourishment during the growing season. The fruit and vegetables need to be checked in order to be picked at the right time. A garden without a prudent gardener will not remain healthy.
As I reflect on the gardens which God has assigned to my husband and I, I must say much of what He has called us to do, truly takes endurance, focus, a zeal. We must care, speak, to the gardens, we must speak life into the gardens, because even though at times we might not see anything sprouting, God will use our love to penetrate the seed of the embryo. I do know much of our frustration comes form not seeing the growth, but the promises of God are still true, what He spoke over your life shall come forth, the question is are you caring, tending to the soil? Are you patiently waiting, and while you wait are you removing anything around the soil, so when it begins to sprout, nothing can chock it out? God so reminded me the importance of the condition of the soil.
I am so encouraged, because what we seek to learn, has already been taught, written by our Gardener. The world has so many questions, they ask does the earth have a diligent gardener who visits the earth and takes care of its trees and plants. They might even ask who waters the Earth? Who designed the garden and provided the grain and seeds for the trees and plants that produce such their great abundance?
Here is the answer: “Praise awaits you, our God, You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.” Psalm 65:9–11 (NIV),
Here we discover some of the activities that God performs as the Earth’s Master Gardener. God visits His
garden, and gives the Earth grain, seed, nutriments, sunshine, and water. From time to time, God does
some weeding as well, reducing the destructive things that jeopardize the garden. God keeps aware of
our lives and conditions.
Have you ever thought about your life as God’s garden? Paul talks about Christians as God’s field, as
God’s garden. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each
be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s
field, God’s building. God uses ministers to plant seeds in our life and water the seeds, but God is
the one who gives life.” 1 Corinthian’s 3:8-9 (NIV)
God expects each of our lives to produce fruit that will give praise to Him who is the great gardener of our souls.
What is God growing in you, as His garden? Do you know that God interacts with you daily and checks in
to see how things are evolving? God plants and waters the things He wants to grow to produce a
bountiful harvest in you. God weeds our lives of things that are destructive or fruitless and prunes us so
that we will produce much fruit.
As you care for your garden, why not let God speak to you about the garden in your heart.
and what God desires to grow and produce in and through your life? Ask God to show you how your life can produce much fruit for the benefit of many and to bring God the glory. If you have been assigned to a patch within the garden, remember re-seeding is only building your muscles. God will always protect what He has called.
Pastor Veronica – God’s daughter!
