In my last post I wrote about being gardeners in our children’s lives, planting seeds of faith in their hearts. But as I thought about that analogy, I realized it could be applied to our own lives also. So, let’s take a look at our gardens.
What is planted in our gardens? How is it doing – dying, surviving or thriving? And how can we help it to flourish?
Maybe yours is a garden that was once planted well with choice veggies. You were given good seeds, and they were put into a well-nurtured environment. But as life took over, you forgot to tend to the garden. Now, even though the veggies are still growing, maybe they’re not getting the nutrients needed. Your garden isn’t growing as fruitfully as it could.
If you need nourishment – get to the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, which is our spiritual nourishment.
Or maybe that well-planted garden was left to fend for itself. Now the garden is a wild mess. The veggies are trying to survive, but they are choked out by weeds and dead leaves and grass clippings. You get the point. If you don’t do some cleanup ASAP, that garden is going to die.
If the weeds are choking you – think about what noise and distractions you need to remove from your life.
Perhaps you are a newly planted garden. You are enthusiastic and looking forward to the fruit. But in your inexperience, you might not be tending the garden in quite the right way. You may forgot to add something along the way, or you’re unsure how to prune.
Or even, you could be an empty plot of land. You’d like to grow a garden but have not a clue how. You wonder do I have good soil, enough light, whether it is even possible.
If your garden is newly planted or not planted at all – start learning, pick up the Bible, the Catechism and the lives of the saints, and seek spiritual advice.
What always amazes me about people with green thumbs is that they can make things grow in almost any circumstance. But unlike in vegetable gardening, where we humans are limited in what we can achieve, God doesn’t have those limitations.
So even though you might feel that all you have is a few smalls pots filled with less than ideal soil, Our Lord sees in you the end result of His work, a huge, lush, beautiful garden, brimming with fruit.
As I was planning this post, I had a great Holy Spirit moment. I learned just the other day that St. Teresa of Avila used a similar garden analogy also! As she shares this metaphor, she mentions that she must’ve heard it somewhere but has no idea where, so she is “content to borrow it for [her] own purposes for now.” Well, St. Teresa, I’m sure you won’t mind if I borrow it from you!
Listen to what this female Doctor of the Church has to say:
Beginners must realize that in order to give delight to the Lord they are starting to cultivate a garden on very barren soil, full of abominable weeds. His Majesty pulls up the weeds and plants good seed. Now let us keep in mind that all of this is already done by the time a soul is determined to practice prayer and has begun to make use of it.
And with the help of God we must strive like good gardeners to get these plants to grow, and take pains to water them so that they don’t wither but come to bud and flower and give forth a most pleasant fragrance to provide refreshment for this Lord of ours. Then He will often come to take delight in this garden and find His joy among these virtues.
The Book of my Life, Teresa of Avila
I don’t know about you, but I want God “to take delight in this garden!”
Personally, I find that I’m struggling with the weeds that seem to pop up all the time! I need to constantly evaluate the distractions around me and how I use my time. And if I’m really honest, maybe there’s a little bit of ignoring the garden at times.
So I challenge you to think about what your garden looks like right now. This metaphor is really limitless, and it can fit any scenario. Take an honest look and assess what you need right now to tend your garden.
I’d love to hear from you. What is the biggest issue that you need to tackle in your garden?
