The other day I was digging dandelions out of the rock garden. It’s not that I don’t like dandelions, I just don’t want any in the rock garden. Dandelions are difficult to dig out because they have long taproots and if you don’t get them all they will come back.
So I’m digging out dandelions and the thought runs through my brain… “Eve, why did you have to eat that fruit? Look what I have to do because of that!” As soon as the words floated through my brain I realized how… silly the thought was. Who’s to say what the world would have been like had Eve NOT eaten the fruit? The world – and its population – would be far different.
As I reminded my kids over and over, actions have consequences. We will never know what the consequence of not eating that fruit would have been, but we do know what the consequences of her disobedience was. Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden and the world became a much different place.
What’s so incomprehensible to me is that God knew when He instructed Adam and Eve to not eat that fruit that the would eat that fruit. So why would he even bother to place that tree there and tell them that was the only thing they could not partake of. As we well know, temptation is a strong provoker. The answer, at least from my point of view, is that God hoped that Adam and Eve wouldn’t disobey. Of all God’s creation, we are the only ones who have free will to make our own choices. God wants us to love, obey and worship Him because we chose to, not because we have to.
That consciousness allows us to understand what it is that God wants of us. Unlike the rest of God’s creation, we can think and deliberate, choose what to do or what not to do, and, most importantly, know the difference between good and evil. We are more than animals who are solely driven by instinct and less than the angels whose only purpose is to worship God and do His bidding. What an awesome responsibility that is!
A person who has a natural ability to make plants grow and thrive is said to have a “green thumb.” In that context you could say that a person’s “green thumb” is any natural skill that that a person excels in and loves to do.
I have a nephew with a natural skill in audio/visual production and editing. Following him on Twitter as he works at editing is a fascinating look into the thought processes/streams of conscience of someone who absolutes relishes what he is doing. Problems that arise become challenges to overcome followed by great satisfaction. His job really isn’t a “job,” it’s FUN. But when he had to put together their newsletter… that was so NOT fun. Desktop publishing is not a natural skill for him. I kept telling him he should tell the powers that be that I would be more than happy to do their newsletter for them. Pro bono. Because I love doing that kind of project.
Looking back on my entire working life, the best jobs I’ve ever had were working with non-profit organizations whose primary purpose was (and is) providing services to communities and individuals. In every case, my position was a supportive one and I thrived on creating presentation materials that made the organization look polished and professional. My last job before moving to Maine gave me many opportunities to “play” with PageMaker and PowerPoint. The only part of that job that was a job was the administrative duties like… filing.
Now I will be doing another newsletter – the most professional (from a print perspective) I’ve ever done. I just finished my first issue for them. In spite of the… challenges, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and after it was all done I thanked them for letting me have so much fun. Desktop publishing is my “green thumb” or at least one of them. What’s your “green thumb?”
Last fall after planting most of the nearly 500 bulbs I had ordered (not on purpose, mind you) in my rock garden, Brad got a little heavy-handed with the mulch. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing since he blows snow up onto it (and any sand and/or ice melt from off the driveway). So the last few days I’ve been outside pulling back the mulch from the new shoots now popping up all over the place.
There were largish areas where I could just scoop the mulch from without worrying too much about what might be underneath – either there was nothing or there were bulbs that would come up later in the season. Then there were the areas where there were tender shoots or existing plants (like hens and chicks and stonecrop) where greater care was needed to expose them to the light and show off their beauty.
As I was carefully brushing away extra mulch from over and around the hens and chicks, it occurred to me that God works with me in much the same way as I tend my garden. He carefully pulls back the layers to expose the beauty of His nature within me so that others may see it. And just as I carefully remove the weeds from the garden, He works to remove the weeds in my soul that distract from His light shining through me.
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
One of my happier memories of my dad is the two of us sitting at the piano singing duets, my alto harmonizing with his tenor. I could read music and play simply but that was enough. One of my favorites was “In the Garden” probably because of the harmonization. I didn’t truly appreciate the words of this hymn until I moved here and began seriously gardening.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
When I began to really spend time outdoors I was overwhelmed by the beauty of God’s creation. It’s one of those things where you wonder why you didn’t start doing this a long, long time ago. Over the last two years I’ve also found myself growing closer to God in a deeply personal way. Outside working in the yard communing with nature is communing with God. There are no petitions, no questions, just worship.
I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
My sister, the minister (sorry, Barb, but I just like the way that rolls of the tongue) has a blog and when I read her posts I can “read” her close relationship with God – a relationship that seems like a love affair, a love affair on a deeply sublime level that transcends the physical. I find myself craving a relationship like that, but I have been so distant for so long…
Spring is a time for new beginnings, a renewal and reawakening. Even though I was distant He wasn’t. He has never stopped loving me. Today as I was pulling back the mulch from the rock garden, I observed how it seems I am learning so much so late in life (well, maybe not that late…). I am looking forward to my garden time this spring, summer and fall. I want to renew my own love affair with my God and Saviour and I will never feel the deep chill of a spiritual winter again.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
I spent some time outdoors today. Call it getting my feet wet and my hands dirty, figuratively speaking. There was lots of sun and just enough wind to keep me from getting too warm. In other words, it was gorgeous.
We have been in that ugly time between snow melt and greening. The grass is still brown from being under the snow all winter and the trees are still standing stark against sky. But it’s not all ugly. New green shoots are pushing up out of the ground and crocuses are already blooming, their delicate little flowers opening in the light of morning and closing as the sun sets in the evening. Iris are pushing their knife blades up out of the soil. The daffodils are showing new flower heads tightly furled, tulips are opening up their dark green leaves, and you can see the little pineapple-like hyacinth slowly emerging. Everywhere you look there are the signs of new life resurrecting from the death of winter.
Do you suppose God planned that His Son should die for our sins and rise up during the time that His creation is also rising from the death of winter? Every spring we can once again see the promise of new life in nature and be reminded of the new life that Jesus gave us by dying for us. And even as nature is renewed and given new life, so we have that promise as well. No matter how “dead” my relationship with God may have been, I have the promise that once again I can experience that new life and awakening after a spiritual winter.
Many years ago I found a little paperback book called The Practice of the Presence of God. Brother Lawrence was a 17th century monk who felt God’s presence no matter where he was or how menial his job. He didn’t just worship God, he had an intimate companionship with God.
Ever since I met and married my husband, Brad, I have felt blessed in a way I had never experienced before. At the time we met I was learning to be content with the solitude that is part of living alone. I had no expectations and no dissatisfaction with my life as it was. Oddly enough, for more than 10 years now, I have felt closer to God than I have in many years prior to this. But it wasn’t until we moved to Maine that I really began to feel truly close to God.
I had never actively involved myself with gardening or yard work; but I was quite willing to enjoy the results. Our new property had lots of garden areas that were all overgrown from neglect so I felt inspired to give gardening a try. Gardening is now one of my favorite activities and I have discovered that working outside provides an outstanding backdrop to worshipping and communing with God.
As Christians, how often do we stop and simply worship in the moment, thanking God for His creation and our place in it? In the nine years Brad and I have been married we have never conversed much. Brad isn’t much of a conversationalist and being very heard of hearing inhibits conversation even more. Our children and friends have often considered us… strange because we can sit almost side by side at our computers and not speaking for hours.
The truth is we feel each other’s presence in an intimate way that requires no verbal communication. That is also how I see my relationship with God. When I am tending the gardens I rejoice and thank God for His beautiful creation. When I am picking berries thank God for his providence. Even when I am working indoors I am thanking God for the beautiful house He led us to and for a life I never thought I would have.
The purpose of this blog is to share my meditations with God and my outdoor activities. There will be lots of photos of my yard and gardens, exploring ideas about adding new plants and sharing my adventures with growing vegetables.
