Saturday, October 3, 2009

The Work of the Gardener


Isaiah 58:11 "You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring who waters never fail."

Most days I try to walk around our yard deadheading the flowers in our flower pots and small garden. Once in awhile I am able to water the plants and pull a weed or two, but mostly I leave that to my husband. We are blessed to be able to enjoy pansies, geraniums, day lilies, petunias, Mexican Wedding plants, mums, and more! In the more shaded areas we have pots full of pink, white, and coral impatiens.

The flowers do not bloom as well if left on their own. A lot of work goes into the care of the soil, because if it is not tilled, fertilized, and watered the plants will whither and die. In late Fall we cover the garden with leaves to protect the soil and perennial roots, and when Spring arrives the leaves are removed, the soil is turned over once again, and nourishment is added to prepare for the summer blossoms.

In our own lives God is the Gardener, and in love He prepares, nourishes, weeds, and gently cares for us. Often the soil (soul) needs to be stirred up and tilled, and sometimes transplanted. God knows what care we need to become more and more like Him. As our soil (soul) is tended, weeded, and nourished, we start to grow beautiful flowers (gifts to share with others), becoming more and more of the person God desires us to be.

A garden that is left untended soon becomes covered with weeds that smother the flowering plants. So it is in our lives also. If we do not turn to God in prayer, if we do not read His Word and nourish our soil (soul) we will produce more weeds than flowers, and eventually whither and die.

Let us open our hearts to God’s wisdom in tending to our souls. He is the Master Gardener and He has a Master Plan for each of us. With much nourishment and care, we,too, can grow to bloom into a beautiful garden.

To read more inspirational posts go to www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com where Ginger and Charlotte host Spiritual Sundays.

13 comments:

Musings of A Minister said...

Ah yes,He is the Master Gardener! You have blessed us today with a much needed message. You presented it in a simple, clear, easy to understand way. Thank you.

nannykim said...

so true!! and you should have seen my wild flower garden---I was utterly astounded at the amount of weeds----the flowers still grew and the amazing thing is they grew very tall trying to outreach the weeds for the light--interesting! But they do better with care, for sure!! Good lesson

Jan Lyn said...

Very nice reminder that God tends to our souls and we must do our part. I'm picturing a beautiful garden in my mind. :)

Lisa said...

Isn't that the truth about gardens? All you have to do is nothing for them to be in a mess.I'm so glad our heavenly Father is a Master Gardener.:)

Mevely317 said...

What a marvelous illustration, Renee! I'm sure these cautionary words will stay with me for a long time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Myra

Ginger~~Enchanting Cottage said...

What an awesome post! I love your analogy. Thank-you so much for taking the time for this wonderful devotional.
God Bless,
Ginge

Mary said...

True, true, true. At one of my teas, I asked the question "what would you be if you were an item in the garden?" The answers the women gave were not as silly as I expected them to be...they were; water, soil, trees, and gardner. I think the garden is a wonderful way to descibe our need for pruning and weeding. Really great post...thanks.

God bless,
Mary

Sue said...

Hello Renee,
Yes! He is the Master Gardener! What a wonderful post! Such a great analogy, and well written, thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Sue

Debbie said...

This was a WONDERFUL post and I loved the illustration you used with the gardening. It is soo true!! How easy it is to forget that sometimes we "need" to be weeded or pruned. Thanks for sharing this. It really blessed me. Blessings to you, Debbie

Denise said...

Beautiful, bless you.

SmilingSally said...

What a nice metaphor! It applies so well. Thank you for sharing. Have a good Sunday.

Charlotte said...

Great analogy. I was thinking about the flowers here in Arizona. If we don't water some of them daily in the summertime, they die. We need to go to the fountain of life often or we will dry up. Thank you for this reminder. I think we all need it from time to time.
Blessings,
Charlotte

Cathy said...

That is beautiful. You really do have the gift of writing. Thank you, I enjoyed that.