The Gardener

The Gardener

I have a garden this year. vegetable-garden-768342_1280

I love saying that. It feels so…earthy. So…natural. So…not me.

You see, I’m not really a gardener.

I want to be. I try to be. But I get a bit lost when plants don’t just…grow. I put the seeds in the ground, so now they should do their thing. Right? But when bugs invade or plants start dying, I don’t always put up a fight.

This year, however, I’m determined. I’m going to figure this cultivating thing out.

Last night I spent some time working in my garden – pulling weeds, pruning rogue cucumber plants, transplanting mint to improve its chance for survival. It was sweaty, prickly work. But it felt so good.

And then I saw it – a bunch of tiny green tomatoes growing in the middle of the tomato cage. I was so excited to see the plant I’ve been tending start to bear fruit.

It’s small, so far from ripe. But it’s fruit, nonetheless. It’s progress, the promise of more to come. And it thrills me.

God the GardenerAs I looked at those itty bitty tomatoes, it struck me that maybe God feels a similar joy over us. When He sees us growing, does His heart burst with happiness?

Sometimes I get so impatient with myself.

Surely I should be producing lots of mature fruit by now. I’ve known Jesus for so long, why am I not bursting with the fruit of His Spirit? Why, oh why, do I struggle with the same old sins? Why am I not more grown up in my faith? Why do I doubt? Why do I get irritable or angry with those I love?

Do you ever feel that way? Ashamed of yourself for not being…better? More productive? More mature? Closer to perfect?

And like the scorching sun on a mid-summer day, condemnation threatens to wither the fruit that’s growing, be it ever-so-slowly, in our lives.

I don’t think God looks at us that way. In fact, for those with faith in His Son, He declared us free from condemnation (Romans 8:1).

Like a patient gardener rejoicing over not-yet-ripe fruit, I believe God is okay with the process. More than okay, I think He’s excited to see us growing, responding to His master touch.

No gardener expects ripe fruit the same day the seeds are planted. There’s a whole season of tending yet to be done. plant-1474807_1280

In the garden of our hearts, our God is all about the process. Because, unlike me with my tomato plants, there’s a relationship being cultivated. In the tending – the daily watering, the pruning and pulling of weeds – we get to know the Gardener.

What do you think? How does the Gardener tend the soil of your soul? What are you learning about Him in the process? Please comment below! Let’s get to know Him better together!

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I Quit!

“I quit!”

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Some people are just born determined. Once their minds are set, they have every intention of following through. Obstacles are mere opportunities. Giving up is not an option. They are productive. They are successful. They are…amazing.

I’ve always admired such people. Because I am not one of them. Oh, how I wish persistence came naturally to me. But alas, it does not. Consistency, tenacity, perseverance – God is forming these qualities in me, yet through blood, sweat and tears.

Maybe that’s why the following verse is so precious to me.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” Phil 1:6.

Our God is not a quitter.

What untold comfort that gives to my heart, because it means that becoming like Jesus is not up to me. This is God’s work. And He never gives up. He will finish what He started.

Sometimes I get off track, or side-tracked, or just plain tired and I don’t feel like pressing on. I’m weary of the battle against the flesh and sin just looks easier.  But God is faithful. He is committed to forming Christ in His children – more committed than any human could ever be. Patiently, persistently, passionately conforming us to His image.

But there’s another priceless facet to this verse. Just as God works relentlessly in me, He is tirelessly working in the lives of those I love. My husband. My children. My brothers and sisters in Christ. What He has started in their hearts, He will bring to completion.

So instead of panicking if they make wrong choices (as I often make), I can rest assured that God will not leave them alone. If they give up, God will not give up on them. With confidence, I can pray to the Father who loves them even more than I do. I am free to be patient as He works in their lives, even as God is patient with me.

This work of walking with Jesus, of growing in grace and knowledge, of producing the fruit of the Spirit – it is God’s work. With tireless devotion, with patient persistence, with wisdom and power and grace, God is creating beauty in the lives of His own.

Rest assured, dear child of God, you will never be given up on. There is always hope, because the God of hope is committed to you. And that person you love – God loves them immeasurably more than you do. He will not abandon the work He began.

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How does God’s patience with you impact your view of yourself? Your relationships with others?

 

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