In the garden I have to include maintenance and nurturing activities, which involve removing weeds (while not damaging the plants) and ensuring the plants receive the needed nutrients.

It requires consistency and persistence, which can be a struggle at times.  So there are times that I have felt that the weeds were going to win out, but then with determination and ongoing effort, I was able to remove a lot of the weeds bit by bit and appreciate the progress that was made.

Each time that I go into the garden, I do not start out with the feeling to be there, especially when there is some major task to be done.  But I had made the decision ahead of time to take care of my plants, because I want to see my garden thrive.  So with preparation and the needed tools, during times where my motivation was low, I would embark on the gardening tasks at hand.  What fascinated me was that often, even though I may have started out a bit reluctant, invariably as I went about the gardening activities I would become so engaged in the process, that when it was time to stop, I actually wanted to stay in the garden a little longer.

When I go into the garden I generally notice nice changes, which draw me to see God’s creative power; God who provides a garden experience so that we can have a sense of peace and tranquility in a busy world.   The garden helps me to understand more what a privilege it is to have a relationship with our Creator.

The garden has also helped me to understand a little more about the temporal needs versus the eternal focus.  In Isaiah 40:8 we are told, ‘the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.’

As much as gardening is a beautiful experience for me, sooner or later in the garden, I will see the leaves and flowers that fall from the trees.

John 4:13,14 states: ‘Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’

In John 6:35 we are told: ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’

There is a need for us to address the temporal things. The temporal needs require that we take care of our bodies that would include a healthy diet, drinking adequate water, getting proper exercise and getting adequate rest.  The temporal requires us to adopt routines and schedules that will ensure that our bodies get the nurturing and attention needed to thrive.

In 1 Corinthians 6: 19, 20 we are told: ‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’

So because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we can determine to take care of our bodies, and because we are brought with a price, our efforts and time can be used to do God’s will.

Like Jesus while on the earth was about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49), we can do the same.

In John 3:15, 16 we are told: ‘That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’

It is such a comfort to know that God’s plans for us is to be united with Him eternally. 

What a privilege that God has given us.

Be Blessed