Dirt under the fingernails … sweat dripping from the forehead … back aching from bending over. Yes -- I LOVE IT!!! SPRINGTIME … one of my favorite times of the year! I am not a painter, but in a sense, the yard is my artist’s palette. It has also become my textbook each year because God continually manages to use my yard and flower garden to remind me of many of His life’s lessons as I dig into the soil and enjoy His beautiful nature. I will share just a few of those lessons with you now.
LESSON #1: DON’T LET A “ROOT OF BITTERNESS” TAKE HOLD
“Wait a minute!! Don’t I know you??? I am almost certain that I recognize you!! You are that stinkin’ weed that I pulled up last year in this very flower bed … and the year before that … and the year before that!”
But, then I remembered … last year I was preparing for an event at my home, so in a moment of haste, I just jerked the head off that weed. No one could see its head above the ground now! However, neither could I see its roots growing deeper and gaining strength underneath! And not only that, it was also producing more weeds like itself so that when it returned the next year, it brought many more with it!
Each year as I pull weeds from my flower beds, God gently but firmly reminds me of Hebrews 12: 15 … “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Just as I need to deal with the root of the weeds in my flower beds, I also need to deal with the root problems of any personal conflicts I may have. Outwardly, I may pretend that everything is fine, but unless I deal with removing the ugly growth hidden deep within me, that bitterness will only continue to grow. And as it grows, it spreads and begins to affect others … family members, friends, co-workers, church members, neighbors. My bitterness will not only destroy me, it will defile MANY others as well!
LESSON #2: ALLOWING FOR A LITTLE “TROWEL” AND ERROR
As I was out walking around my yard the other day, I noticed one tiny pansy poking its head up from the hard-packed soil on the side of my driveway. It was definitely a mistake!! Perhaps the plant had been dropped there by an overzealous bird or possibly it was a remnant from the clean-up of my winter bed of pansies, just refusing to die! Nevertheless, it was certainly out of place there! So I took my trowel and gently slid the blade beneath the root of that plant, lifted it up, and then carefully moved it to a safer environment, giving it a much needed second chance to grow and to flourish. How grateful I am for a God of Second Chances in my own life!!! Psalm 32: 5 says, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” Psalm 103: 12 adds the crowning jewel: “… as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
A cartoon once appeared in the New Yorker Magazine showing a frustrated daddy speaking to his prodigal son … “O.K., this is the fourth time we have killed the fatted calf!” Yet, God has forgiven us (ME) over and over again … by carefully sliding His blade beneath my roots and moving me gently to a place beneath His protective arms where I can flourish under His care, giving me yet another chance to “grow in grace.”
LESSON #3: LEARN TO APPRECIATE THE STEADFAST AS WELL AS THE BEAUTIFUL
Are there some spring flowers that are your absolute FAVORITES? I am always so excited when the delicate, lacy, pink and white peonies open up in all their glory. And what about the regal irises! So beautiful!!! The bright yellow forsythia and the purple phlox put on quite a show as well. But have you noticed that as lovely as they are, they only last a short period of time, and then they are gone! I still love these beautiful, splashy flowers and anticipate their arrival each year, but I have also learned in recent years to appreciate more those plants that are steadfast.
As I have closely observed the unusual leaves of the hostas, the interesting fronds of the various ferns, and the fascinating shades in the evergreens, I have come to value these steadfast plants more and more. They come back year after year; they do not seem to need a lot of special attention; and yet they provide an exceptional beauty all their own. Most of all, they always seem to make the other plants look prettier. These are the “background plants,” not flashy but dependable. Almost as if taking on the humility that Jesus inspires in all of us, they seem to “… esteem others better than themselves” (Phil. 2: 4b). We could certainly learn from these steady plants – faithful, dependable – always maintaining their position in the garden of working to make others better, to put value into those around them.
So often we are taken with the beautiful face or the stylish dresser, that we tend to overlook those steadfast, background people. . “Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (I Peter 3:4). “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Prov. 31:30).
LESSON #4: FOOD AND WATER ARE NOT OPTIONAL WHEN IT COMES TO GROWTH
Several years ago at the end of school, a student presented a fellow teacher and me with beautiful potted plants as a parting “thank you” gift. Since I worked most of the summers, I just kept my plant in my office, but my friend, Ann, took hers home. At the beginning of the next school year, here comes Ann up the hall lugging this huge (No, … make that HUGE), lush potted plant that looked like it had just leapt off the pages of a glossy garden magazine! She had even transplanted it to a different, much larger pot from the pink foil-wrapped plastic one that the original plant came in. I took a quick glance over my shoulder at the scrawny little “stick” on my desk to make sure it was the same plant. Surely enough, the leaves were somewhat recognizable. And, yes, my bright pink foil was still wrapped around my pot, though it was a tad faded, and the sad ribbon was still hanging loosely by a thread. But my plant was now made up of about three tall, scraggly stems with three or four yellowish-green leaves desperately clinging for life – certainly not like the green flowering “bush” that Ann had brought in. Our plants were reminiscent of the girl from New York who had come back home to visit her country cousin -- the one bright and flashy, the other puny and homely!!
What was the difference? It was the same plant. We received them both at exactly the same time. The fact is, Ann lovingly and faithfully fed hers, watered and fertilized it (and knowing her, she probably even SANG to it!). I, on the other hand, might have dumped a cup of water in mine maybe every couple of weeks or so, if I thought about it. And feed it?? Never!! I was just too busy with other things to even think about it.
This reminds me so much of our Christian walk. Have you ever noticed perhaps when two people made a commitment to Christ at the same time? Both seemed genuinely excited and ready to serve Him. Years later you may have observed that one is still excited about the Lord, seizing every opportunity to minister. This person may have even gone through some intense times of trials and heartache; yet, she has remained strong in the midst of tragedy, relying totally upon The Lord to see her through. The joy of The Lord has truly been her strength! It has only caused her to grow and to flourish. Yet, the other person seems to have remained at the starting gate. She never has time to serve in any capacity because of other “personal obligations.” Just “too busy!” When hard times have hit, she has become angry, confused, and even depressed and discouraged – often to the point of quitting! What is the difference? The first person has taken the time to be fed and watered – to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). She has been willing to “study to show herself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). She has continued to “work out (develop; mature) her salvation …” (Phil. 2: 12b).
You see, just like our plants, if we are going to grow in the Lord and mature and flourish as Christians, we must be fed and watered and fertilized daily. We have got to study our Bibles. We have got to take the time to talk with the Lord – our Creator – to get our instructions for the day. We have got to be willing to give of ourselves in order to serve others. And it is through this that we will see tremendous growth in our lives.
LESSON #5: PLANTING SEEDS OF HOPE
As I plant new seeds each year, it is with a hope that something special will emerge as a result of the work that I have put forth. I have noticed that if I do it right – plant in the right soil; apply the “Big Three” at the proper times – food, water, & fertilizer; and abide by the directions (correct sunlight or shade, right distance apart, etc.) – then I usually have a pretty good chance at success in growing what I have planted. Our lives carry the same rules for the most part. We do indeed “reap what we sow” (Gal. 6: 7). So … what are you growing in life’s garden???
Ephesians 4:16 … “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
2 Peter 3:18 … “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2 Thess. 1:3 … “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.”
Isa. 40:31 … “… but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.”
However, just as we can glean some wonderful plants from our efforts, if we are not careful, we can raise a crop of undesirable things as well. I have some kind of ground cover that has managed to get into my flower beds that I absolutely cannot seem to get rid of. I do not know if it came in with another plant that I planted or if it blew into my yard from a neighbor’s garden; nonetheless, I cannot seem to get rid of it, and it tends to take over wherever it lands. The worse part is that it chokes out some of my more desirable plants. And it grows EVERYWHERE … even in the gravel!!! There are just some plants that we do not want!!!
Likewise, there are some things that we must guard against that will crop up in our lives if we are not careful, and they are so difficult to remove once they get there!! So, watch out for these undesirables:
Matt. 24:12 … “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold … .”
Jer. 5: 27 - 28 …”… they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit;”
Psa. 143:4 … “So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.”
Isa. 40:30 … “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;”
Job 17:7 … “My eyes have grown dim with grief;”
Prov. 20:13 … “Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.”
Ezek. 28:5 … “By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.”
Are you growing in love, grace, knowledge, faith, and strength? Or are you growing cold, fat, faint, tired, weary, dim, poor, and proud??? So … to paraphrase a popular commercial … “WHAT’S IN YOUR GARDEN???”
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