Gardening has been a major theme in my life lately, including my spiritual life. The whole concept of gardening overflows with rich metaphors and Biblical references.
How do you visualize God? When I look back over my spiritual journey, I know the mental image of God that guides me differed at various point of my life.
Right how I see him as a gardener.
I see God on his knees in my backyard, cultivating, working the soil. He wears a floppy straw hat that looks like it has had better days. He is working hard, preparing the soil and tenderly setting new plants. He is intent and focused on the job in front of him.
Where am I in this picture? I want to say I am on my knees next to him, but that doesn’t feel right. I am on the deck just watching him work. Every time my ego wants to join him, something stops me and says quietly – “watch me.” So I wait. Waiting is hard, but the image is so strong I feel I have no choice. I wait. I watch. I learn.
I learn God focuses on whatever is in front of Him until the job is complete. Just imagine – He watches each of us so very closely with all His attention until we are fully His.
He is not just watching us – He is working hard and with purpose, cultivating the soil, the environment around us for the best growth.
I am learning that God the gardener is an optimist, as any gardener is. Catherine Marshall wrote “It is certainly the Creator’s will that the desires and talents He Himself has planted in us be realized.”
And I realize I am the garden God is tenderly nurturing. He working His life deeply into my soul’s soil and adding the rich nutrients to promote my growth towards Him. The plants he sets in my garden are faith, hope and love.
I barely begin to comprehend how much God loves me in this image.
My prayers are Bible verses about gardening during this time of spring preparation:
JOHN 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
ISAIAH 58:11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:5 …but only God, who makes things grow.
What is God the Master Gardener showing you?
All of your comments are so good and thought provoking. Melinda’s use of the word weaving reminds me of God working the nutrients into my heart’s soil. Clella’s comment on growing whether we chose to or not. Karen’s planting ahead ( me too) and Johnnies’ focus or spacious garden. Sure shows God is speaking and active in our lives. Thanks for sharing. Jeanie
With only a few moments reflection to ponder this question, I’m going to say that God is teaching me to focus on one small patch instead of trying to scatter seeds (my efforts) over a large expanse. Which is odd because there’s a snippet of a Psalm that says God “has set my feet in a spacious place” that has taken deep root in my heart.
Ah, I can see me now wanting to hoe and plant my own row ahead of Him, instead of watching and waiting. Time and again, he takes the spade from my hand and tells me, “No, I want to do it this way.” That’s always hard for me, but better. Thanks for the lesson, my dear one.
Jean…Well you have done it again. I’m thinking!!!
God is causing me to grow whether I choose to or not! I am His and He will cause me to be what He planted me to be. I know this, but sometimes I forget and try to do my “thing”. Thanks.
Good post!!! Clella
So good, Jeanie … God is showing me how He weaves all of the experiences of my life good and bad and brings them together to create amazing things in my life. I’m at a point where I’m just in awe of Him and how He’s able to use me in spite of myself. 🙂 The job is to wait on His timing, but it is so worth it when He reveals what He’s been working so hard at sowing in me! :0)
Great post!
Melinda