Christian Living

OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN

by Barbara Thompson Young
07/20/07
Not For Sale
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   Each spring, I enjoy digging in soil, planting flowers, and getting close to nature in my backyard flower garden. This year, with my husband retired, I finally have a helper! It feels good to know I have his presence and his help. I remember a certain spring, several years ago, when the thought of working alone in the flower beds overwhelmed me, so it was not until early July, that year, when I woke up one morning with a desire to get with it. I would transform my garden in one day. To my dismay, I discovered my little March weeds had grown into July monsters. No problem! Never a coward, I tackled those fearless invaders with the same gusto of 'Little David', when he got rid of that nasty old Philistine, Goliath. Yep! I was out to conquer all, leaving no survivors behind. But it didn't take long to realize it would take a miracle to transform my backyard garden in one day. It seemed I had a case of weed infestation, and I was getting nowhere, fast. When I grew tired of working in one area, I went to another. The sun was a scorcher, and my back was killing me, so I decided to take a break. While sipping pink lemonade in the shade, I got my second wind as I closed my eyes and began to visualize the end result. Oh, yes, my backyard garden was going to be beautiful! I glanced at my watch and saw that time was not standing still, and neither could I! I reached to pull more weeds, and just like that, a tall one poked me in the eye. "Ouch! That hurt!" I was ready to chuck it all, when an idea popped into my mind. "I bet these weeds and grasses will come out much easier, if I hose them down with water, and soak them real good to loosen the soil. Then I can get these invaders at their roots!" I was amazed at how much easier they were to remove, once I applied water to them and allowed them to soak awhile. I didn't know if I had time or energy to do the entire garden in just one day, but I was going to give it my best shot. And that's when I heard it...the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, as he spoke to my heart and called me by name. "Barbara, what you are doing here in your garden is what you do in your spiritual life. There are weeds in your heart, and in the beginning, they are tiny. I show them to you, but you don't want to face them, so you ignore them, not realizing they are growing from tiny heart issues to great big monsters. When you choose to ignore them, not only do they continue to grow, they multiply, and their root-systems become imbedded in your heart. When you try to remove them yourself, you break off the top half of the weeds of unforgiveness, bitterness, and pride, to name a few, and leave their root systems still intact within your heart. On a future day when you least expect it, they re-appear. If you will apply the water of my word to your heart, daily, and not just a sprinkle, mind you, but a good soaking, those creepy carnal weeds can't thrive because the soil of you heart will be softened by my word, and they can be removed where it counts...at their roots. He continued, as He pointed out, "You're trying to make your flower garden weed-free, in one day, and that's an impossibility. After all, those weeds didn't grow strong and tall in one day. If you will apply water to your flower garden and your heart, both will thank you." You may have guessed that I did not work a miracle in my backyard, that day; but I'm here to tell you that a miracle was worked in me. Do you have over-grown weeds? Like me, perhaps you're doing it the hard way. Why not give your 'garden' a good soaking, first? And while you're at it, don't forget the power of process. It never hurts to have a good, strong helper come along beside you, too

Barbara Thompson Young