Lessons from the Garden of Life Love is patient, as well as kind, the Apostle Paul reminds us. Sometimes, however, love can appear very cruel to the natural eye. Pampering isn’t always the approved method of nurturing in the garden of life. Sometimes what is needed is stern discipline…and even drought. Sometimes what we so desperately want NOW is not good for us IN THE LONG RUN. A good farmer knows what his plants need, in every season of their lives, and provides for them not only WHAT they need, but also WHEN they need it. My grandfather and I planted a garden every year. He would till the soil, and I would do my part by walking behind him and collecting his extra earthworms so I could go fishing. Once I had “helped”, he would sow his seed, and water in his efforts. Then I would watch the ground, and help keep it watered, and inevitably within weeks the earth would begin to bring forth its bounty. It all seemed pretty aboveboard and easy to follow from my perspective. Our plants liked water, and sun. So, God gave them the sun, and if He didn’t give them water…..I did. Simple...or so I thought. But then, several weeks into the process, the routine changed, and I learned things were not always as they appeared on the surface. One day I returned to visit my grandfather after having been gone for several days. I went to go proudly inspect our garden and it was HORRIBLE! The plants were all droopy and sad, and I could tell that they had not been watered. I immediately ran to fetch the hose, but as I went to turn it on, my grandfather looked at me and said simply, “No.” He seemed completely indifferent to the plight of his tender children. I thought he must be the cruelest man in the world to just stand there and watch things suffer and die. “Don’t you care?” I asked him. “Very much,” he replied. “Well then give them the water,” I pleaded. “I can’t,” he said. “Why not?” I asked. It was then my grandfather showed his hand, and explained to me that a very dry growing season had been predicted. He told me that if he watered the plants every time they got thirsty NOW, that they would pay for it LATER. The plants would only send out shallow roots because they would never have to dig deep for the life-sustaining moisture they required. When it got totally dry later that summer, he would never be able to compensate no matter how much water he gave them. They would most likely shrivel up and die, or at best only produce small immature fruit. All of our efforts that year would be in vain. Our Heavenly Father is a MASTER GARDENER. He knows exactly what we need to produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our own lives…in their due season. Sometimes it seems like the dry seasons of our lives are more than we can endure. We find ourselves becoming withered and sad, just waiting for some spiritual water to revive us and restore us to our former glory. But our Father is always looking ahead to the more eternal weight of glory he created us for. We may get thirsty, but He is not apathetic to our plight. He understands what we need better than we do, and HIS timing is always perfect, much unlike our own. Our understanding of His ways is feeble, but His understanding of our frailty is great. We are created to be conformed to the image of God’s only begotten Son, who suffered much to bring forth the testimony to God’s glory that showed how deep the Father’s love for us truly is. I am learning to allow God to have HIS WAY in my heart and in my life….that I too may become deeply rooted and grounded in love. Love, as it turns out, IS PATIENT, and IS KIND. Thank you Lord, for giving us WHAT WE NEED, and WHEN WE NEED IT….whether we appreciate it NOW….or NOT.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:58:18 +0000
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