Have you ever seen what happens to a garden that stops being tended to? Weeds and plants grow uncontrollably and it looks like a mess. Have you ever forgotten to water for a while and there is no rain? The plants that were once thriving, wilt and die. A healthy garden is healthy and fruitful because it is never left unattended for long. In the garden, it is up to me to remain watchful, removing what no longer gives life, protecting new growth so it can flourish, and deciding when to prune something back because it over powers neighbouring plants or is lacking fruit.
Just as I spend time regularly in my garden picking weeds and removing dead flowers that distract from the beauty of the other plants and flowers, so too we must tend to the gardens of our hearts by watering and fertilizing our hearts with God’s Word each day. This is the pruning and watering, it is then that beautiful flowers and abundant fruit will be produced.
Much like the garden that is left without care will become overgrown, the Christian life is a continual process of tending, trusting that the Master Gardener is at work in every season, bringing forth a harvest for His glory. If we neglect it, the weeds will creep in and overtake the things of beauty we have planted.
Even winter has its purpose as we prepare for the seasons ahead. Maybe that’s where you are right now as it looks like nothing is happening after a flurry of activity with an abundant harvest. You need to rest for a time to restore before planning for the next busy season of planting and seeding for the next harvest. Or perhaps you have been working hard planting, fertilizing, watering, weeding, and you feel like nothing is happening, but you can’t see below the surface. You need to stop working like it is up to you to make it happen and let God do what He does best.
You see it is not my work that makes the flowers bloom, that comes from God. That is completely based on what he created them to be. My job is simply to tend the garden to ensure it glorifies God with every bloom, and the weeds are not going to detract from Him.
Reflect:
What habits will help me continue to grow in Christ this season?
What do I need to tend to in my garden to prepare for future seasons?
Pray:
Faithfulness to the daily work of walking with the Master Gardener.
Beverly Ajtay
Administrative Assistant
