Spiritual gardening – 16 March 2020
By Hennie Symington
Itekisi yeBhayibhile
UMATEWU 6
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these … Matthew 6:28-29
Our lives are created by God to be like a garden: alive with growth. Each garden paints a different picture. No two gardens are alike because trees, plants and grass are alive, and each grows in an entirely different way. A garden is designed to have needs and when those needs are met, it blossoms and comes into its own.
A good gardener has a vision for the garden and wants to bring it to its full potential, by not allowing anything to steal or suppress the journey of growth and eventual maturing. However, climatic conditions cannot be controlled. The weather could be either too dry or too wet. In some countries the problem could be cold, frost, or strong winds and, without proper protection, some plants might die. At other times, weeding is necessary. Alien weeds and plants, which twist themselves around healthy plants and choke them, need to be uprooted regularly.
Ask yourself, how do I tend my garden?
How do I nurture the soil of my soul? Do I casually pass by the many weeds that flourish in my life, refusing to see them as seeds of destruction? Do I water it regularly or only when I remember to do so? Isn’t it time for me to take note of my personal garden, and to weed out the many obstructions that keep me from being the garden that God wants me to be? Isn’t it time to replace those impatience plants with some daffodils fluttering and dancing in the breeze? Just think what a difference this could make not only to yourself, but to those close to you who constantly have to take cover when things go wrong at home or at work. Try it and see what a difference it makes in your environment.
Prayer: Lord, how casually we live our lives, hardly giving a thought to the consequences of not tending our inner garden and simply allowing it to be smothered by alien plants and weeds. Open my eyes to the many beautiful flowers I pass by on my journey through life. Amen
