To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow. I see those words each morning on the little tin sign I have propped on my windowsill in the room where I come away to meet with God. As I look at the words, I am reminded that I have a choice to make; I can choose to show up in my life, ready to do the things I don't want to do and do the things that I cannot do alone, or I can walk away from my garden, grieving that the work is too hard; and my Life Garden will stand unguarded and unattended and open for certain invasion and destruction on some level. But if I choose to suit up and pick up the tools I've been given, my garden will gain what it needs to grow and transform into the fruitful garden that I envision and hope for. Alongside these risks and benefits that I see clearly in my mind, I feel a fluttering trepidation in my gut; and I hear the voice of a familiar question stepping forward from my heart, and the voice asks me, again: How badly do you want the promise that lives in tomorrow? I must answer.
I cannot dispute "To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow"; but "What about Today?" I ask, and I feel my strength draining, like water leaking out from all my pores. I don't think I can work my garden today.
But ever so carefully, my eyes scan the landscape of my Life Garden. On the far side, I see a stand of healthy green plants; some have blossoms, some do not, but their greenery gives way gracefully under the influence of the gentle wind.
In the middle of my garden, I see tall, thick-stocked, ugly weeds, standing rigid and unmoving, as if to say, "I defy you; I'm here to stay."
Finally, my eyes turn downward to examine the soil beneath my feet. I find the earth dry and unyielding, certainly uninviting to the seed God wants me to sow into it. My eyes look heavenward to the LORD, and my heart weakly speaks, "So many times I've tried to get my seed into this soil. An enemy slaps my seed from my hand, then turns back to attack and destroy me. I can't try again."
"You must sow again, my daughter, for to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. You must work diligently to break up that hardened soil, so that it can receive your precious seed in. Take courage, my daughter. You are taking ground with every action done in love."
"Thank You, LORD; I'll keep working my garden."
From where does my help come from? Certainly not from me. The hole in my heart is a garden unto itself.
For years, my Heart Garden suffered abandonment. And surrounding the uncontrolled plantings in my heart, a wall began to rise, thicker and thicker and higher and higher, like the multiplying denseness and height of an unattended forest.
Let me tell you about my Jesus. Actually, I'll let Anne Wilson tell you about Him in her song, My Jesus. https://youtu.be/FW5o2uBeMWQ.
I've met God's grace, whether I sensed it or not, every single day of my life. Furthermore, His grace released me from my debt against Him; His grace empowers me to love when I have no love of my own; His grace broke the shackles of my bondage; His grace walks me away from my guilt and shame.
His grace will do those things for you too. This song, Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) sung by Chris Tomlin will help you walk that road to Jesus. Won't you take the risk and walk toward your Rescuer? https://youtu.be/KKo3T0j9qqo
